By State Chair, Ola Abimbola and Director of Government Relations, TOM Anderson
last updated: march 30, 2020
In the chaos that COVID-19 has created, it’s hard to keep up on what is happening all around us. A slew of government actions have taken place in order to provide relief for the health and economic wellbeing of those living in Minnesota and across the United States.
Below you will find a snapshot of the major steps that have been taken, followed by a request for new actions we believe the state and federal government should take to protect our students and communities.
State COVID-19 Response Bill
$330 million total for COVID-19 response.
$200 million emergency reserve fund.
$30 million in grants or childcare providers.
$40 million in emergency grants and loans for small businesses.
$30 million in emergency housing support.
$11 million for Tribal Gants.
$19 million in additional funds related to COVID-19 support.
Flexibility given to the Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education to ensure no financial harm to students occurs related to SELF loans, work study funds, student grant aid, or scholarships as a result of the disturbances caused by COVID-19.
Additional actions taken by Governor Walz
Declared a peacetime emergency.
Authorized $20 million in state investment for the COVID-19 public health response.
Temporarily closed K-12 schools to prepare for distance learning.
Allocated $200 million to healthcare and long-term care facilities.
Provided paid leave for state employees.
Ordered healthcare providers to postpone elective surgeries.
Ordered that evictions be suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opened a special enrollment period for MNSure to increase access to health insurance Declared “Stay at Home” order.
Federal United States Department of Education
Federal student loan payments are suspended without penalty until September 2020
Federal student loan interest rates are reduced to 0% until September 2020
If you were at least 31 days behind on your payment as of March 13, 2020 or become more than 31 days delinquent after that date, you’ll automatically be placed in administrative forbearance.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.
Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined or sick and seeking a diagnosis.
Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a need to care for an individual subject to quarantine or whose childcare provider is closed due to COVID-19.
Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave for someone who is unable to work due to the need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
This bill has passed the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives and is likely to be signed into law very soon.
$2.2 trillion total spending on COVID-19 related assistance.
$14 billion for colleges and universities.
$1,200 for each individual or $2,400 for a married couple and $500 for each dependent child which would be deposited directly or mailed depending on federal tax filings Payments would be suspended for student loan borrowers without penalty through September 30th.
The deadline to obtain a Real ID will be extended until at least September of 2021
Unemployment benefits would increase, giving an extra $600/week for jobless individuals and extending these payments for up to four months.
A program would be created to help independent contractors and gig workers who do not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury can issue $500 billion in loans and investments to companies impacted by COVID-19 with oversight from an accountability committee.
$117 billion will go directly to hospitals.
$450 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which goes directly to food banks across the country
$15 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
$900 million for diplomatic programs and refugees which includes $324 million for diplomatic programs, $258 million for international disaster assistance, $350 million for migration and refugee assistance and $95 million for USAID operating expenses.
The measures that have been taken by the state and federal government are broad and expansive. We applaud the quick and decisive action of our elected officials to provide relief to our students, families, and members of our communities.
As we move further into this public health crisis and corresponding economic recession, our current, former, and future students are going to need additional support to make it through this unprecedented event. We understand that difficult decisions were made quickly to provide support to those who need it most. Now that multiple executive orders and large-scale legislative efforts have passed, we urge our state and federal legislators to consider providing the clarity and assistance our students need.
Below you will find a list of our students most urgent legislative priorities:
State
Provide emergency funding to the public colleges and universities to meet the enormous health and economic needs of faculty, staff, and students. Our universities will need resources to allow our students to have a safe, effective, and high-quality education. We are in full support of all financial requests
Our universities will need resources to allow our students to have a high-quality education. But our universities provide more than just a degree.
Our universities are community hubs for housing, food, healthcare and other essential services. Without support, our students will not receive a reliable, safe and high-quality education.
Federal
Students United meeting with U.S. Senator Tina Smith
Federal student loan interest rates should remain at 0% for at least one year from the Department of Education’s announcement of this policy.
The economic recovery will be long and difficult. The interest that the federal government collects from 43 million people will pull billions of dollars out of local economies and create an even deeper and longer lasting recession.
Federal student loan suspensions should remain in effect for at least one year from the Department of Education’s announcement of this policy.
It is widely recognized that the economy will not have fully recovered by September of 2020. Allowing individuals additional time to become financially stable before returning to normal loan collection procedures is critical to an economic recovery and would allow individuals and families to focus on their physical and financial health.
The increased public benefits that have been enacted due to Covid-19 should not be used to penalize immigrants who are seeking permanent residency and citizenship in the United States. At a minimum, the federal government should clarify the “public charge” ruling regarding the newly enacted benefits.We should not be penalizing low-income immigrants, many of whom are students working multiple jobs while attending college full-time. At the very least there should be clarity on whether or not we are penalizing immigrants seeking assistance.
A second round of $1,200 and $2,400 payments should be included in a follow-up Covid-19 stimulus bill.
Recent graduates are entering a job market with almost no chance of securing a job and those who were able to secure a job in the past year were among the most likely to be fired as a result of the Covid-19 recession. These payments are necessary for their survival and will be an immediate boost to small businesses that are fighting their way out of this recession.
Many college students are claimed as dependents by their family for tax purposes, but they are still working adults with bills to pay. Assistance moving forward should provide direct relief to students, regardless of them or their families’ tax filing status.
The alleviation of the burdens that Minnesota State students are facing due to this pandemic is our highest priority. We appreciate the extensive steps that have been taken but our students still need help. We empathize with those who have been dealt a heavy blow as a result of this crisis, but we will not stop with empathy. We will continue to elevate student voice and to advocate for policy changes at the state and federal level to address our students most pressing needs. Now more than ever we need to work together to create a better future for our students and communities.
United we stand against COVID-19 and together we can create the change that our students so desperately need.