Still Working For You!
The Minnesota House of Representatives’ daily operations have changed during the current COVID-19 outbreak. The Minnesota House will remain in session as the state addresses the pressing public health issue surrounding COVID-19, with meetings and floor sessions taking place on an on-call basis until April 14.
Early this week, we passed a bill to approve nearly $200 million in additional funding to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill provides $50 million to the Public Health Response Contingency Account for use by providers, ambulance services, health care clinics, hospitals, and long term care facilities. It also allocates $150 million to a new Health Care Response Fund that provides grants to providers for costs necessary for COVID-19 response.
The bill includes protections for taxpayers including canceling unspent money back to the general fund, legislative oversight, and consequences for unauthorized spending of grant funds.
MDH hotlines are available to assist Minnesotans, including a public line, (651) 201-3920, and a line for questions specifically related to schools and/or childcare, (651) 297-1304. Online resources also are available to help individuals stay up to date:
I also want to encourage everyone who wants to help their neighbors in need to contact local charities or churches for ways to help, while following the guidelines of social distancing, hand washing, and other ways to stop the spread of this virus. Our community is an incredible resource and help to one another, and I look forward to seeing how we all help one another during this crisis.
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