(St. Paul, MN) -- Minnesota leaders are considering increasing rental assistance money.
State officials cut off new applications to the program at the end of January once federal funding ran out. House Democrats are set to present a plan this week to add 300 million in pandemic relief dollars toward emergency rental assistance. Representative Mike Howard estimates the new funds would last through June, when the state is set to lift the final remaining pandemic renter protections. Currently, renters with pending applications for help can't be evicted for failure to pay.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering bonus payments to essential frontline workers. The proposed bill defines the frontline sector to include workers in long-term and home care, child care, food service and manufacturing, among others. Lawmakers say these workers should be thanked for keeping essential services functioning during the pandemic.
The payments would amount to up to 15-hundred dollar check to as many as 667-thousand essential workers.