Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates pay for frontline workers.

Highlights:

• Defines “frontline sector” as any of the following (Sec. 1):

• Long-term care and home care;

• Health care;

• Emergency responders;

• Public health, social service, and regulatory service;

• Courts and corrections;

• Child care;

• Schools, including charter schools, state schools, and higher education;

• Food service, including production, processing, preparation, sale, and delivery;

• Retail, including sales, fulfillment, distribution, and delivery;

• Temporary shelters and hotels;

• Building services, including maintenance, janitorial, and security;

• Public transit;

• Ground and air transportation services;

• Manufacturing; and

• Vocational rehabilitation.

• Specifies that an individual is eligible to receive payment under, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 1):

• Employment in a frontline sector occurred during the period beginning March 15, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021; 

• Minimum of 120 hours of employment, excluding telework, within at least 1 frontline sector in Minnesota; and

• Did not collect unemployment benefits for more than a cumulative total of 20 weeks.

• Requires that the commissioner of revenue, labor and industry, and employment and economic development determine payment amount based on available appropriations and the number of applications received from eligible (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that an individual’s adjusted gross income for at least one taxable year beginning after December 31, 2019, and before January 1, 2022, must the less than the following (Sec. 1):

• Married workers with direct COVID-19 patient care that are filing a joint return must have an adjusted gross income of less than $350,000;

• Other filers who work with direct COVID-19 patient care must have an adjusted gross income of less than $175,000;

• All other married individuals that are filing a joint return must have an adjusted gross income of less than $185,000; or

• All other filers have an adjusted gross income of less than $85,000.

• Requires each applicant’s eligibility be verified by commissioners of revenue, employment and economic development, and labor and industry (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the commissioner of labor and industry to establish a process to receive payment applications and then begin accepting (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the commissioner of labor and industry must assist applicants through establishing a multilingual temporary help line for applicants, offering multilingual applications, and providing multilingual instructions (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the acceptance of any application submitted more than 45 days after the application period initially opens (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes an applicant to appeal their denial of eligibility within 15 days of the denial notice (Sec. 1).

• Requires all payments be the same amount and no more than $1,500 (Sec. 1).

• Exempts frontline worker payments from being considered income, assets, or personal property in determining eligibility for, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 1):

• Child care assistance;

• General assistance, Minnesota supplemental aid, and food support;

• Housing support;

• Minnesota family investment program and diversionary work program; and

• Economic assistance programs. 

• Requires that within 15 days of application opening, employers must provide notice of potential eligibility and how to apply (Sec. 1).

• Requires a report regarding the program establishment be written by the commissioners of revenue and labor and industry and must contain the following information (Sec. 1):

• Number of applicants including the total amount within each sector and county;

• The payment amount every worker received; and

• Number of applications denied and the denial justification.

• Prohibits the data collected from the payment process and application be used for any purpose other than private or nonpublic data (Sec. 1).

• Appropriates the following amounts from the general fund in the fiscal year 2022 (Sec. 1):

• $1 million to the commissioner of revenue as a one-time appropriation for payments;

• $2.48 million to the commissioner of labor and industry for the administrative costs of payment implementation;

• $1.92 million to the commissioner of revenue for the administrative costs of payment implementation; and

• $756,000 to the commissioner of labor and industry for a grant to Minnesota Training Partnership to promote payment availability.

Full Bill Text