Some good news!
We’ve just learned that the Revenue Department is granting an initial 30-day delay in sales tax remittance (until April 20), a request we had outlined in our letter to the Governor, Majority Leader and Speaker of the House on Monday. Businesses should still file their return but are no longer required to submit payment on March 20 and will not be penalized. Businesses that are still unable to pay on April 20 may be allowed to request additional relief from penalty and interest at that point as the Department continues to monitor the situation and communications from our industry.
We are glad that you will find some relief.
We know you’d like to find it for your employees, too. We’re fielding calls, tracking the rapidly evolving actions at the local, state and federal level and connecting with organizations offering assistance. We can only imagine the anguish you are feeling as you are forced to layoff your employees and worry for their welfare. To that end, the focus of today’s update is on resources you can share with them as they are needed.
Unemployment Insurance
The City of Minneapolis Labor Standards Enforcement Division confirmed today that employers are not required to payout Sick and Safe Leave to employees that have been laid off and should instead seek Unemployment Insurance immediately. There are long wait times for telephone support, so folks should be encouraged to try applying online first at
www.uimn.com
In preparation, they should read through the information on
COVID-19 and Unemployment Benefits
. The information is available in Spanish, Hmong and Somali. Those links can be found in the Quick Links at the bottom of the page.
Available Support Resources
- Serving Those Serving This Allied member maintains the Help! Service Directory! with links to services and supports across a variety of needs, including mental health.
- Minnesota Recovery Connection MRC provides free and confidential recovery support. It serves the seven-county metro area and supports recovery communities in St. Cloud and Duluth.
Housing and Employment
We are in contact with the Minnesota Department of Health to request that they suspend recertification deadlines for food safety handling, in light of the Coronavirus. We want to make certain that employees don’t have to incur this expense during this time, nor kept from moving to employment another setting such as a long-term care facility or hospital.
Contacts have come in from a handful of community partners interested in offering support for re-employment and housing. We will provide that information for you to share with your employees as soon as we have details.
Again, we know that concern for your employees is top-of-mind. If we can be helpful in running down information, identifying specific resources, answering questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at
info@hospitalitymn.com
Tomorrow, we’ll bring you a Capitol Update on everything we’re tracking at the local, state and federal levels.
Sincerely,
Liz Rammer
President and CEO
