Legislative Outlook - What's to Come

We don’t expect the action to slow up. Legislators will not be at the Capitol on Monday in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but here’s quick rundown of what we’re watching at the Capitol next week:
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• Broadband Development – Tuesday, the Office of Broadband Development will present to the Agriculture Finance and Policy committee. In the 2022 legislative session, $60.7M of federal ARPA funds and $25M were directed to be used for broadband programs. Grant applications for 2023 are open and due by March 2. 
  • More information can be found here

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• Carbon Monoxide Alarms – This past week, SF225 was introduced which requires that all hotels and lodging houses must have an approved and operational carbon monoxide alarm installed in each room lawfully used for sleeping purposes. We are working to assess if the bill will move ahead with a committee hearing.
  • Read the bill here

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• Drivers Licenses for All – Tuesday, House Ways and Means will take up HF4, signaling Drivers Licenses for All could quickly move to the House floor for a vote next week. Wednesday, Senate Transportation will continue last week’s hearing by walking through the bill, gathering additional testimony, fielding questions and a vote.
  
  • Read the bill here

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• Earned Sick and Safe Time – Tuesday, House Labor and Industry Finance and Policy and Senate Labor will hear HF19/SF34 regarding earned sick and safe time. Pending Tuesday’s hearing, House State and Local Government Finance and Policy is expected to take it up on Thursday. As written, the bill would apply to any employee, including temporary or part-time employees, who perform at least 80 hours in a year for their employer in Minnesota. Employees would accrue a minimum of one hour of earned safe and sick time for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of 48 hours of sick and safe time in a year. Employers would be able to adopt a more generous policy should they choose.
  
  • Read the bill here

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• Paid Family and Medical Leave – Wednesday, Senate Jobs and Economic Development will hear SF2/HF2 establishing paid family and medical leave program. The bill allows for up to 12 weeks of benefit to care for a family member with serious health condition, for qualifying exigency, for safety leave, or for bonding and up to 12 weeks of benefits for an applicant’s own pregnancy or serious health condition. Similar to UI, each employer would pay a yearly premium on employee taxable wages. Employers would be allowed to deduct up to 50 percent of the premiums paid by the employer from the employee wages (employee charge back). The initial annual percentage rates of premiums will be set for 2025. Starting January 1, 2026 the Commissioner would set annual percentage rates of premiums based on a formula – which may increase or decrease.
  
  • Read the bill here
    
  • Read the bill summary by Senate Research here