April 28, 2022
Legislative leaders came to a deal on “hero pay” for Minnesota’s frontline workers this week, as well as settling the state’s unemployment insurance debt.
On April 28, legislative leaders announced that $500 million will be distributed to 650,000 frontline workers in the form of $750 checks. They also announced a compromise to allocate $2.7 billion to repay the $1.3 billion unemployment insurance debt the state owes the federal government and refill the state’s unemployment insurance fund to its pre-pandemic amount.
Both bodies passed their own versions of the bill earlier this week, essentially tying frontline worker pay to a deal on unemployment insurance. The House agreed to a $2.7 billion unemployment insurance deal but wanted $1 billion to be shared with about 666,000 frontline workers in the form of $1,500 checks.
The Senate also passed a $2.7 billion unemployment insurance deal but wanted to stick to $250 million for frontline healthcare workers, an amount agreed to in the 2021 legislative session.
The bill is expected to be sent to Gov. Walz for his signature on April 29. The compromise solidifies one of the largest legislative issues of the session.
Lawmakers were pressured to come to a deal before April 30. Without legislative action to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance fund and pay back unemployment insurance debt owed to the federal government before then, Minnesota businesses would be required to pay higher first-quarter payroll taxes.
May 29, 2025
As the Legislature works to complete its work on the state’s two-year budget, another deadline is looming. Legislators are required to pass a balanced budget before the end of the fiscal year—June 30, 2025. If they don’t meet that deadline, the state will begin a partial shutdown.
May 29, 2025
Registration has opened for the Empowering Physicians: A Night of Reflection and Engagement event, featuring best-selling author Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD.
May 29, 2025
The AMA is encouraging physicians to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to revise the reconciliation bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives. While the bill includes language that would stabilize Medicare physician payments, it also threatens to cripple Medicaid and CHIP.