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Dear neighbors,
This afternoon, Governor Walz unveiled a new COVID-19 dashboard that tracks the spread of the virus and provides the latest data on available ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment, and testing. The dashboard, which will be updated daily, can be found here.
Governor Walz will give his annual State of the State address this Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Instead of giving his speech at the Capitol, the Governor will address Minnesotans from his residence. The address will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, and local television stations.
Unemployment Insurance Update
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has received record numbers of applications for Unemployment Insurance. New applicants are now being asked to apply on certain days based on the last digit of their social security number. This will help DEED process applications and deliver the benefits workers are depending on as quickly and effectively as possible.
Soon, for the first time ever, Unemployment Insurance benefits will be available to many self-employed and contract workers. DEED is working with the U.S. Labor Department to get this system up and running. A step-by-step guide to help self-employed and contract workers apply for benefits is available here.
If your employment has been impacted by COVID-19, you can apply for unemployment benefits at uimn.org.
Child Care Grants Now Available
Many child care providers are struggling to stay in business due to the high number of families who have withdrawn their children from care. However, there are approximately 270,000 children under the age of 12 who live in a household of an essential worker and need care during this time. The COVID-19 aid package that we passed last week included funding for emergency grants to help child care providers keep their doors open and continue providing critically-needed care, ensuring that Minnesota’s first line of defense against COVID-19 can stay on the job. Application information is available here.
New Guide for Small Businesses
In previous emails, I’ve mentioned several state and federal programs that were created to help small businesses affected by COVID-19. Different programs make sense for different businesses, so DEED prepared a guide that can help small businesses determine which programs might work for them. The guide, which lists all available or soon-to-be available programs, is available here.
Minnesota Deer Neonicotinoid Project Update
The Minnesota Deer Neonicotinoid Project, a new effort to study deer exposure to pesticides, received approximately 800 deer spleen samples from Minnesota hunters this fall. All of the samples are now at their respective labs, and results will be available neat the end of the summer. I’ll keep you updated as I receive more information.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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