Dear Neighbors,

I hope this message finds you and your family well during this challenging time. While it’s important to be physically apart from one another, check in on family members, neighbors, or friends who may find themselves isolated or in need of a helping hand.

Census 2020

Tomorrow is officially Census Day, and everyone who responds to the census will be counted where they live on April 1. You should have received an invitation to respond in the mail, and you can enter the basic information online, and the entire process takes less than five minutes. Our community is already doing great, with 42.6 percent of St. Paul residents responding so far, beating the national average response rate of 34.7 percent.

Additionally, the Census Bureau is still hiring people to assist in this monumental effort to count each and every Minnesotan. In Ramsey County, workers can earn $22 per hour. Click here for more information on available opportunities.

Legislative Response to COVID-19

Last Thursday, lawmakers returned to the Capitol to approve a strong package of legislation to aid in our state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation includes, among other things, $200 million toward the newly created state COVID-19 Fund, $9 million to the Department of Human Services for food security, $26.5 million for the Emergency Service Grants program to provide shelter for Minnesota’s homeless population, $30 million in one-time grants to child care providers, $10 million for small business loans, financial relief for Minnesota’s workers, and the necessary flexibility for state agencies to respond to the pandemic. I’m proud we delivered these investments in a bipartisan manner, and these benefits will especially help the most vulnerable Minnesotans.

A summary of the legislation is available here. The Senate also passed the bill and on Saturday, Governor Walz signed it into law. Our work isn’t over though, and we will keep working on important measures such as workers’ compensation benefits for health care workers and first responders, protection of pay for hourly school employees, like educational assistants, food service workers, and bus drivers, and further solutions to protect economic security for families and business.

Report Price Gouging

Governor Walz has issued an executive order prohibiting price gouging during this peacetime emergency. Since this took effect, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has already put several businesses on notice for “pandemic profiteering” including Menards, a smoke shop, and an exercise equipment retailer that suddenly entered the N95 mask business once the COVID-19 crisis hit, selling them for $5 each. He also sent a warning to online retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart that they aren’t exempt from the prohibition and they should set guardrails to prevent this unconscionable activity.

It’s inexcusable for businesses – whether brick and mortar or online – to take advantage of this crisis to make a quick buck off the backs of Minnesota consumers. If you see price gouging, please continue to report it to the Attorney General’s office here.

Unemployment Insurance Available

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in tremendous economic hardship for Minnesotans, many of whom have found themselves displaced from their jobs due to no fault of their own. To help process applications more efficiently, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has designated certain days of the week for Minnesotans to apply based on the last digit of their social security number. With applications coming in at an unmatched pace, this will ensure displaced workers can get faster, more effective services. This applies to *new* unemployment insurance applications only.

You can enroll in UI benefits at www.uimn.org.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if I can be of help in any way. My email address is rep.john.lesch@house.mn and phone number is 651-296-4224. Please continue to take care of yourself and your family. We will all overcome this challenge together.

Sincerely,

John Lesch
State Representative