The Minnesota Senate approved the agreement reached this week by the state leaders with a 65-1 vote, sending it to Parliament on Friday afternoon, where it passed easily, 124-5. The bill includes $ 2.7 billion to replenish the trust fund and $ 500 million for staff such as nurses, long-term caregivers and others who were still working in person at the height of the pandemic. These bonus checks will amount to approximately $ 750 per person if all 667,000 eligible employees apply. “This bill represents what can happen when Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate and the governor’s office work together to do great things for the people of Minnesota,” said Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona. The pact will prevent tax increases on state-owned enterprises needed to replenish the Unemployment Fund, which has been exhausted by growing demands during COVID-related lockdowns. Legislative leaders announced the deal Thursday morning after months of negotiations in the divided legislature. “This shows that we can compromise when we are together on an issue. It took more than a year and then a little, but there are three weeks left for the summit, so if we can compromise on a big $ 3 billion package, I hope we can compromise on “Education funding, health care funding, transportation funding,” Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen, DFL-Edina, told reporters after the vote. He said public safety “is the biggest unfinished business for our meeting, because if we are talking about the start of summer, we must give our communities the resources to fight violent crime”. The Minnesota Senate approved a $ 200 million “crime-tough” public security package Monday, voting 48-19 to approve a GOP plan that focuses on recruiting and retaining officers and increasing criminal sanctions. The Senate bill also amends penalties and scrutinizes prosecutors and judges who deviate from those directives. On Friday night, House debated the $ 200 million Democratic bill on public safety and the judiciary, which focused on tackling the root causes of crime.
