Minnesota lawmakers introduce benefits extension, veteran relocation bonus and tariff study to aid workers and small businesses

Representative Emma Greenman, DFL of south Minneapolis, introduced several bills and speakers at a Capitol news event on Thursday aimed at cushioning Minnesota workers and small businesses from recent federal actions and tariff changes.

Greenman said the measures respond to what she described as “chaos” from the White House and private-sector directives affecting federal employees and contractors. “For the 18,031 federal workers in Minnesota… the last 80 days must have felt like a betrayal,” she said.

The measures discussed were: House File 3078, which would allow a 13-week extension of state unemployment benefits for affected public employees beyond Minnesota’s standard 26 weeks; House File 3164, a proposed $10,000 relocation bonus for veterans fired at the federal level who move to Minnesota for new employment; and a proposed study and action plan to marshal state resources in response to tariff-driven economic disruption and federal contract freezes.

Supporters said the proposals are designed to provide…