MINNEAPOLIS -- Officials announced Monday that more than 1 million frontline workers in Minnesota will begin receiving hundreds of dollars in "hero pay" starting this week.
Gov. Tim Walz's office said 1,025,655 frontline workers will begin receiving payments of $487.45 on Wednesday. Payments will continue throughout the fall.
"I'm grateful for the work Minnesotans did to help people across our state stay healthy and safe through the COVID-19 pandemic," Walz said. "Frontline workers are an important part of the fabric of our state and helped us continue functioning during the pandemic.'
Monday at noon, there will be a news conference at the State Capitol with the Department of Labor's temporary commissioner to address the announcement.
More than one million frontline workers applied for hero pay over the summer. The state's initial estimate was that 667,000 people were eligible for hero pay, meaning they would get $750 a person.
Frontline workers express relief funds are coming soon
It took almost two years of debate at the legislature, but workers are now days away from receiving Hero Pay as a reward for working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meat cutter Keith Farr, appearing with other frontline workers, said he is glad the money is finally coming.
"It was hard times, but we made it through and it's finally here," he said.
Part of the hold up was that Republicans wanted larger $750 checks to go to fewer people, but Democrats wanted a larger pool and smaller checks. Among those getting checks are health care workers, grocery store employees, law enforcement, and school employees.
Latonya Patterson is a health care worker at Open Cities Health Care in St. Paul, and says that she thinks the checks will be great news for people.
"I know it's not what everyone thought how much they would get, but I think its better than nothing," she said.
There were income cutoffs for those who dealt directly with patients. The cutoff was $350,000 for married couples and $175,000 for individuals. For others it was $185,000 per household and $85,000 for singles.
The first check will be coming in seven to 10 days -- that's for people who applied trough direct deposit. Everyone else should be getting their checks in four to six weeks.
There won't be state taxes taken out but the federal government will take taxes out of this "hero pay."
Reps from both sides of aisle speak out on payments
The Senate DFL faction released a statement on the impending "hero pay" set to be distributed to Minnesotans soon, saying they were "long overdue and will help more than 1 million Minnesotans whose sacrifices were crucial to getting Minnesota through more than two years of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic."
"This is a good day for all Minnesotans who understand that we owe our state's frontline workers our thanks for all they did during the darkest days of the pandemic. They had to go to work without the option of staying home, and they got Minnesotans through a very tough time. Without their sacrifices, the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic would have been much worse. These bonus checks -while not as large as we would have supported - recognize those sacrifices and will help many of them in a significant way. While we've taken this step to help our frontline workers, DFLers also know that our work to help Minnesota working families will never be done, and we will continue that important work into the future."
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, a Republican, issued the following statement:
"I applaud our frontline workers who took great risks during the pandemic. They deserve our appreciation and respect for everything they have done and continue to do to keep us safe. While 1 million Minnesotans are getting a small thank you for their work during the pandemic right now, Senate Republicans will continue to fight for permanent tax cuts so every working Minnesotan will see a 'bonus payment' in every paycheck – week after week, month after month, year after year."
And both Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and his Republican challenger in this year's elections, Dr. Scott Jensen, issued their own statements.
"I'm grateful for the work Minnesotans did to help people across our state stay healthy and safe through the COVID-19 pandemic," Walz said. "Frontline workers are an important part of the fabric of our state and helped us continue functioning during the pandemic. Now, I'm proud to say these workers will receive $487.45 in recognition from the State of Minnesota."
"For those Minnesotans disappointed in either being one of the 200,000 who were denied, or those whose checks are now smaller than expected, remember that if Walz's waste, fraud, and abuse were rooted out, you could possibly have an extra $1,000 in your bank account to fight crushing inflation at the grocery store or gas pump," Jensen said. "When I'm elected in November, we will aggressively tackle government incompetence and put in place safeguards that aim to eliminate fraud and waste within our state government."
How frontline workers will get their "hero pay"
If you were approved to receive "hero pay," your $487.45 will come in one of two ways.
If you chose to receive it via direct deposit, you should see those funds deposited within seven to 10 business days, Gov. Tim Walz's office said.
Those who chose to receive a debit card will receive it in the mail in three to four weeks.
Walz's office said the state will begin sending payments on Wednesday.