(Minneapolis, MN) -- Minnesota's Senate passed a $2.73 billion dollar bill intended to both pay of the states Unemployment Insurance debt.
The $2.73 billion dollar price tag would go towards two projects. The first of which is paying off the state's $1.2 billion dollar Unemployment Insurance (UI) debt. The debt accrued is relatively recent, with the state having a $1.7 billion dollar balance in January of 2020. State officials say unemployment insurance claims during the pandemic brought the fund to its $1.2 billion dollar debt to the federal government. The remaining $1.53 billion dollars in the bill would go towards a workers' benefit fund, refilling it to a pre-pandemic level.
The bill still needs to pass through the Minnesota House before landing on Governor Walz's desk.