Senator Rob Farnsworth (R-Hibbing) today successfully advanced a bipartisan amendment that would provide additional unemployment benefits for miners affected by recent planned mine closures on the Iron Range.

The Farnsworth amendment, which was added to the Senate Jobs and Labor budget bill, offers extended unemployment protections for workers expected to be laid off from the Minorca Mine in Virginia and the Hibbing Taconite (HibTac) facility in Hibbing. The amendment was adopted by a voice vote.

“There’s an old saying on the Range that when the U.S. economy sneezes, the Iron Range catches a cold — and right now, we’ve caught a bad cold,” Sen. Farnsworth said while offering the amendment. “Layoffs like these hit the Range hard; many of these workers don’t know when or if they’ll be called back. In the tradition of what we’ve done for decades, we’re making sure these workers have the support they need to stay here and be ready when the mines restart.”

Sen. Farnsworth had originally introduced the unemployment protections earlier this year as part of his Minnesota Miners Relief Act. The amendment passed today allows affected miners who exhaust their regular unemployment benefits to be eligible for up to 26 additional weeks of support through the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund.

During a floor speech, Sen. Farnsworth thanked members from both parties for helping advance the measure. He thanked Democrat Senators Erin Murphy, Grant Hauschild, and Bobby Joe Champion for their collaboration and support, and highlighted the importance of bipartisan efforts to protect skilled workers and the local economy.

“For me, this is personal — my dad worked at Minorca for 33 years,” Sen. Farnsworth said. “I remember the tough times during the layoffs in the 1980s. This will help make things a little better for our Range families.”

BACKGROUND

About 650 mine workers on Minnesota’s Iron Range are being laid off as Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans to temporarily close its Minorca Mine in Virginia and partially idle Hibbing Taconite, citing a surplus of taconite pellets caused by decreased steel demand in 2024.

The layoffs, affecting about 325 workers at Hibbing Taconite and 342 at Minorca, are expected to begin on May 20 or shortly after and could last more than six months.

The Iron Range’s mining industry, employing around 4,000 people, has also been affected by falling steel prices, weaker-than-expected company earnings, and ongoing concerns about federal tariffs and economic uncertainty.