Northshore Mining unemployment extension bill moves quickly through Minnesota Legislature

UPDATE: The bill passed through the state Senate Jan. 12 on a vote of 56-10.

The Minnesota State Senate could vote as soon as today on a bill that would extend unemployment insurance benefits for laid-off workers at Northshore Mining in Silver Bay.

A companion bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives is also moving quickly through various committees before it is expected for a full hearing next week.

The Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee earlier this week heard Sen. Grant Hauschild’s bill specific to extending unemployment for about 400 workers who have been laid off since May 2022. The employees for Northshore Mining are spread between Silver Bay on the North Shore and Babbitt on the Iron Range.

Hauschild is the chief author of the Senate version of the bill. He spoke with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs Jan. 12 just hours before the bill was expected to reach the Senate floor. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs January 12, 2023