Dear Neighbors,
This Monday, we started the second legislative special session of the year, meeting again to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the virus and its economic impact are the chief reasons for Governor Walz calling the legislature back, we’re also using this time to continue advocating for common sense police accountability measures and a jobs and local projects (or “bonding”) bill. You may recall during the previous special session, the Republican-led Senate chose to end the session before we reached an agreement. I am hoping that cooler heads can prevail and we can reach consensus on these vitally important issues in the coming days.
The work continues, with the current plan being that we’ll return to the House floor on Monday, July 20th, to pass legislation. Here’s an update on the latest from St. Paul:
$100 Million in Housing Assistance
This week, Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan announced that $100 million in federal resources from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act will go toward housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the onset of COVID-19 we have worked to provide needed housing assistance to Minnesotans because you can’t stay home and stay safe if you can’t afford the roof over your head. We are at a pivotal time because federal economic assistance for Minnesotans will dry up soon and Senate Republicans have blocked a legislative solution. Minnesotans can begin applying for assistance with local grant administrators in the first part of August. Additional information about grants can be found on the Minnesota Housing website at www.mnhousing.gov.
Recently, similar funds were also utilized to provide support in food security and child care. $12 million has been dedicated to approximately 300 food shelves across the state, and information about food assistance resources is available on the state’s food emergency webpage. For child care, $56.6 million has gone to support providers who are facing enormous challenges during the pandemic. Families seeking care can call the Child Care Aware parent line at 1-888-291-9811 or visit mn.gov/childcare for a map of open providers.
Stay Connected This Summer
This will be my last email update until after November’s election. After this week, legislators cannot use state resources for unsolicited communications during an election period because it might create an unfair advantage. While I won’t be able to send these emails for a while, I encourage you to reach out to me directly with your input, ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance.
I encourage you to continue to follow the latest on my official Facebook page, and always feel free to reach out to my office at rep.michael.howard@house.mn or (651) 296-7158. I look forward to hearing from you.
In partnership,
Michael Howard