Minn. Legislature Approves COVID Relief Package

Late Monday night, during the 7th special session during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minnesota legislature approved a $216 million relief package for businesses and workers in Minnesota.

The key components of the bill included:

• $114.8 million for counties to make grants to eligible struggling businesses and nonprofits. Each county would receive the greater of $200,000 or a per capita amount based on its 2019 population;
• $88 million to businesses that have seen at least a 30 percent decline and that provide on-site food and beverages; including bars, restaurants, breweries and wineries; bowling alleys; and fitness or sports recreation centers. Payments would be $10,000-$45,000 based on the number of employees; and
• $14 million for movie theaters and multipurpose convention centers with a capacity of at least 1,500 people. A per screen formula would be used to help movie theaters and several factors would be considered for convention center allocations. Convention center awards would need to be used for direct operations and facility upkeep.

The bill also included a provision for Minnesotans nearing their unemployment-collection cap that would allow them to receive 13 more weeks of benefits, from Dec. 27, 2020 to April 10, 2021. It would not be stacked with any future federal benefit extension, meaning the most a person can get is 13 extra weeks. An estimated 100,000-125,000 Minnesotans are slated to lose unemployment benefits Dec. 26 without a state or federal extension.