On Tuesday, the Minnesota House passed a bill to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and get bonuses to frontline workers. It was hailed as a breakthrough in the Legislature after months of stalemate.

That breakthrough resulted in Thursday’s announcement that House and Senate leaders struck a deal to go forward with a plan that includes $2.7 million to replenish the trust fund and pay back a debt to the federal government for jobless aid. It also features $500 million in bonuses for workers who took risks during the pandemic.

A total of 667,000 workers will get $750. These workers deserve it.

Republican Sen. Karin Housley, of Stillwater, told reporters it will likely take a few months for the bonuses application to be set up and checks to be mailed out.

We agree with the Minnesota Chamber that the agreement was long overdue.

“Lawmakers finally using available funds to replenish pandemic-induced unemployment debt is welcome but long-overdue news,” the statement said. “Economic recovery cannot wait for partisan politics, and employers face real challenges now, including historic inflation and worker shortages. We appreciate those lawmakers who supported and took steps to make this fix from the beginning.”

Even the lawmakers agree the negotiations took to long.

“We tried to get it done earlier,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, of Winona, citing the Senate passage of its unemployment insurance bill in February on a bipartisan 55-11 vote. “It took a little bit longer than we’d hoped but the final deal is a good deal for the people of Minnesota and we’re happy to get it done.”

With less than a month left in the session, the Legislature has a lot more work to do to hammer out more deals such as the public safety measure.

Because there are major differences between the House and Senate public safety packages there is a big question mark on what version will eventually reach the governor’s desk.

However, Thursday’s announcement proves Democrats and Republicans in the state are capable of reaching agreements that will benefit Minnesota residents.