Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, signed H.B. 4531 on Saturday. The bill, passed Thursday by lawmakers, was sponsored by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, D-Golden Valley, and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake. H.B. 4531 was passed 99-4 by the House and 67-0 by the Senate. The bill's Senate companion was S.B. 4451.
The law includes provisions that extend the deadline by which property tax petitions must be filed in District Court or tax court from April 30 to May 30, according to a bill summary. It also provides additional time for petitioners to serve petitions on county officials if county offices are closed due to COVID-19, the summary said. That section is effective immediately.
The law also provides that, starting March 1 and ending Dec. 31, unemployment insurance benefits paid to an applicant unable to work because of COVID-19 do not count toward unemployment benefit usage for a taxpaying employer's "experience rating" and won't impact the employer's future unemployment insurance tax rate, the summary said.
--Editing by Vincent Sherry.
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