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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL)

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COVID-19 Update – April 3, 2020

Friday, April 3, 2020

Hello Northlanders,

I hope everyone is holding up as best as you can in these challenging times. The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve and along with it, the adjustments we must all make as Minnesotans. Distance learning got underway this week, and I want to recognize all of our educators for doing the best they possibly can in this situation to ensure our students can continue their studies.

While the buildings are physically closed, the Arrowhead Library System has plenty of services available to the public including digital resources, the Mail-A-Book service, e-books and magazines, homework help and career planning. Mail-A-Book requests jumped 26 percent from February to March. Learn more here: https://www.alslib.info/

Health Plans Waive Cost Sharing

Yesterday, Governor Tim Walz announced that Minnesota’s health plans have agreed to waive all out of pocket costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is great news that recognizes Minnesotans’ health must come first and foremost right now.

Minnesotans with commercial insurance—including individuals, small businesses, and some large businesses—are now eligible for the following benefits:

  • Minnesotans will have no cost-sharing charges for COVID testing.
  • Minnesotans who are hospitalized will have no cost-sharing charges for in-network hospitalization.
  • Minnesotans will have expanded access to telemedicine services. This will help people to stay home and access care if they need it.

The Governor has more info in his announcement here.

State of the State

Sunday evening, Governor Tim Walz will deliver his annual State of the State address at 7 p.m. The Governor will address Minnesotans from his residence. This is an unconventional way to deliver the address, but these are unconventional times, to say the very least. The Governor has made some extremely tough decisions over the last few weeks, and has relied closely on health and public safety experts to help us navigate this pandemic. You can watch the address on his YouTube page here.

Unemployment Updates

Many Minnesotans are experiencing unthinkable economic hardship due to no fault of their own. For the first time ever, self-employed and contract workers will soon be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state Department of Employment and Economic Development is working with the U.S. Labor Department to get the new system up and running to allow these payments to be made. In the meantime, DEED is accepting applications at www.uimn.org, and a helpful guide is available here.

UI Days

DEED has also rolled out a new system for first time Unemployment Insurance enrollees. To help more effectively process the record number of Minnesotans applying, there are now designated days based on the last digit of a person’s social security number.

Child Care Grants

Last week, lawmakers passed a comprehensive package of legislation investing $330 million in aid for Minnesota's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in this bill were $30 million in one-time grants to child care providers. Monthly grant awards start at $4,500. All providers awarded a grant are also eligible to receive an additional $1,000 per month if they meet certain criteria.

There are approximately 420,000 children under the age of 12 who live in a household of an essential worker within a critical sector, and about 270,000 of them will need care during this time. I want to thank every dedicated Minnesotan providing this service during this challenging time. Applications for this emergency aid are now available here through Child Care Aware MN.

Be Kind

discrimination

The only way we will get through this crisis is by standing together as Minnesotans. Unfortunately, there has been an uptick in instances of people of Asian descent being targeted across the country. This is a stressful time for everybody, and disrespect and hostility toward others does nothing to help us overcome the pandemic. It's up to all of us to make clear that we won't tolerate discrimination or disrespect toward our Asian-American Minnesotans: period.

For accurate information about COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health’s COVID-19 section of its website is the most reliable resource in our state. The Minnesota House website also has a COVID-19 section with links to resources and other information.

Please take care of yourself and your family.

Sincerely,

Rob Ecklund
State Representative

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