Saint Paul, Minn. — Today, Minnesota House DFLers advanced a proposal to use a historic budget surplus to provide at least 667,000 frontline workers bonus checks of up to $1,500, a top legislative priority. The bill will put money into the pockets of first responders, nurses, child care providers, janitors and so many others who have sacrificed their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth) voted in favor of the bill.
“We know frontline workers have risked their lives during this pandemic to keep our kids safe at school and in child care settings, ensured we could buy food at the grocery store, and take care of us at the clinic or hospital, no matter what,” Rep. Olson said. “This bill shows we’re not just paying lip service and calling our frontline workers heroes, but really delivering for them and putting some much-needed money in their pockets in appreciation for their dedication. We have a lot more to do to support workers, but this is a significant step forward highlighting how House DFLers are putting Minnesota workers and their families first.”
During the June 2021 special session, the DFL House and Republican Senate passed a compromise budget that included $250 million for frontline worker bonus pay and created a working group to make recommendations to the Legislature on how to distribute those resources. When Minnesota announced a historic $7.7 billion budget surplus in December 2021, Democrats quickly beefed up their proposal to deliver $1 billion in order to provide bigger bonus checks to all frontline workers.
The House’s bill includes the following occupations in the definition of a frontline worker: 1) long-term care and home care; 2) health care; 3) emergency responders; 4) public health, social service, and regulatory service; 5) courts and corrections; 6) child care; 7) public schools, including charter schools, state schools, and higher education; 8) food service, including production, processing, preparation, sale, and delivery; 9) retail, including sales, fulfillment, distribution, and delivery; 10) temporary shelters and hotels; 11) building services, including maintenance, janitorial, and security; 12) public transit; 13) ground and air transportation services; 14) manufacturing; and 15) vocational rehabilitation.
In order to receive a bonus check, workers must meet the following individual eligibility requirements:
- was employed in one of the frontline sectors in MN for at least 120 hours from 3/15/20 to 6/30/21
- was not able to work remotely due to the nature of their work, and worked in close proximity to other individuals (not in the same household);
- meet income restrictions. For workers providing direct care to COVID patients, max income is $350,000 (joint filers) and $175,000 (single). For all other workers, the limits are $185,000 (joint) and $85,000 (single); and
- did not collect more than 20 weeks of unemployment benefits from 3/15/20 to 6/30/21.
Senate Republicans have yet to introduce a single piece of legislation that delivers bonus checks to frontline workers after the Legislature promised to do so as part of budget negotiations during the June 2021 special session. Republican members of the Frontline Worker Pay Working group recommended a proposal that would leave more than half a million frontline workers with $0 in bonus checks.