Proposed ‘Walz Checks’ To Deliver 700 Million Dollars to Minnesotans
WHAT WILL 'WALZ CHECKS' DO FOR MINNESOTANS?
We have all heard that Minnesota has a surplus of funds this year, and we wonder; what will happen to the surplus? Will it come back to us in some way? The answer might be yes.
Governor Walz would like to send that money back to Minnesotans for keeping the economy working for the past two years.
Walz is proposing that we distribute "Walz Checks" of up to $350 dollars directly to Minnesotans.
Under the proposed plan, Single Tax Filers will receive a $175 bonus, if they earn up to $164,400, a married couple that files jointly earning up to $273,470 would get a payment of $350. Under this proposal, approximately 2.7 million Minnesota households would receive a "Walz Check."
WILL FRONTLINE WORKERS FINALLY BE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR SERVICE?
Under this proposal, it looks like frontline workers in the fields of health care, child care, school, grocery store, food service, transportation, long-term care, building service, public safety, manufacturing, and retail workers, will all receive a possible $1500.
LIFE-SUSTAINING CARE-GIVERS
A $115 million dollar investment is also being proposed by Walz to take care of those people, who provide life-sustaining care to people with disabilities, seniors, those with behavioral health needs, and those experiencing homelessness. These funds are being set aside for worker incentive payments as well as tuition reimbursements, and childcare grants.
BUILDING OUR HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE
According to the proposal on the governor's website, we have such great staffing shortages in Minnesota, that we need to invest in free certified nurse training and free tuition routes for those people wanting to work in high-need careers.
There were many other issues presented in the proposal as well. Things like investing in modernizing the workforce, with education in the digital realm, to improve programs to grow their skills, as well as investing$13 million dollars to help black, indigenous, people of color, and women to address the way the pandemic has affected those groups of people.
For more information about the proposal, you can visit the governor's website by clicking HERE now.