Second Week in Session, Frontline Worker Bonus Pay Moves along in the House, and more
Second Week in Session
This marked the second week of the 2022 legislative session. The Senate and the House are continuing hybrid floor sessions, with masks required at the House. Committee hearings began in full this week. The House is conducting its committee hearings fully virtual, and the Senate is using a combination of hybrid and virtual hearings. Each body is moving forward with hearings forbills relating to frontline worker bonus pay, public safety, teacher licensure, and refilling the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Frontline Worker Bonus Pay Moves along in the House
Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL–New Hope) is sponsoring a bill to deliver $1 billion in bonuses for frontline workers. The bill would send $1,500 checks to every one of the 667,000 Minnesotans who qualify under the bill’s definition of a frontline worker. Last year, frontline worker bonuses were halted by disagreements among the working group in charge of distributing the $250 million approved by the legislature. While the GOP wants to stick to last year’s appropriation that would primarily focus on health care workers, this bill would expand the bonuses to child care, health care, school, grocery store, food service, transportation, long-term care, building service, public safety, retail, and manufacturing workers.child care, health care, school, grocery store, food service, transportation, long-term care, building service, public safety, retail, and manufacturing workers.
HF 2900 received a hearing in the House Workforce and Business Development Committee on Wednesday. It passed with a 9-4 vote and is now headed to the House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee. In the Senate, the companion bill SF2650 is waiting on a hearing with the Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy Committee.