Neighbors,
I want to start by again thanking our community for adhering to the “Stay at Home” order. The numbers tell us that our efforts are working, but the science also shows the need for us to continue our efforts. Last week, Governor Walz extended the order until May 4, a decision that’s in line with the recommendations of public health officials and effective measures that we’ve seen around the world.
For any questions you might have about the “Stay at Home” order, you can find a list of FAQs here, including when you can and should leave your home, and what services remain open.
Governor Walz started last week by delivering his State of the State Address on Sunday. In it, the governor laid an honest and clear path forward for Minnesota, and didn’t pull any punches on the tough times ahead. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching it, which you can view here.
COVID-19 Workers’ Comp for Frontline Responders
Our health care and public safety professionals put their physical health on the line when they go to work to continue to keep our state healthy and safe. In the Minnesota Legislature, we passed a bipartisan bill to ensure that these Minnesotans won’t have to potentially sacrifice their financial health as well, with the majority of members voting remotely.
House File 4537 delivers workers’ compensation benefits to these frontline responders in the event that they contract COVID-19. These are vulnerable, exposed jobs, and we need to support the professions that in turn support our state; the nurses, EMTs, firefighters, police officers, child care workers, and corrections officers.
Discrimination Helpline
The vast majority of Minnesotans know that we’re all in this together, and that no one deserves to be targeted based on their background. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in instances of discrimination against people of Asian descent in Minnesota and across the country. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched a new Discrimination Helpline to help protect the civil rights of Minnesotans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minnesotans who experience or witness discrimination can report incidents by calling 1-833-454-0148 or filling out an online form here.
Resources and Links
There are so many resources available to our community and state during this pandemic, it can often be difficult to wade through it all and find what you need. To that end, the state has compiled an easy to use dashboard of data and links relevant to the FAQs I’ve been receiving, which you can access here.
Some other helpful links:
- Unemployment Insurance
- Child Care Grants
- Paycheck Protection Program
- Veterans Assistance Grants
- Small Business Emergency Loans
Stay Connected
If you have any questions about our efforts in the Minnesota House, or resources that are available to our community, please feel free to contact me at (651) 296-3751 or rep.michael.nelson@house.mn. You can also tune in tomorrow at noon as we pass a new package of legislation to address COVID-19. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Rep. Michael V. Nelson