ST. PAUL 鈥� The Minnesota Senate voted 38-29 on Tuesday, May 6, to pass exemptions for certain employers under Minnesota鈥檚 earned safe and sick time laws.
The bill, , chief authored by Sen. Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton, would exempt farms with five or fewer workers and small businesses with three or fewer employees. The modifications also permit employers to ask for documentation of an illness or safety emergency after two straight days, instead of three under current law.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that the burdens put on small businesses have been discounted and perhaps ignored,鈥� Seeburger said on the floor Tuesday afternoon. 鈥淥ur duty after we passed the bill is to come back and make adjustments when something isn鈥檛 working as well as it should.鈥�
The bill aims to modify Minnesota鈥檚 law, passed in 2023, which mandates that employers provide paid leave to employees for personal illness, caring for a sick family member, or in cases involving domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking affecting the employee or a family member.
Current law allows an employee to earn one hour of sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked and can earn a maximum of 48 hours each year.
Sen. Jennifer McEwen, DFL-Duluth, said on the floor Tuesday she was opposed to the modifications, and specifically has concerns for employees who work on farms because they are 鈥渟ome of the least protected, powerless workers in our society.鈥�
鈥淭his just is talk about picking the low-hanging fruit and picking on the least powerful people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚'm ashamed that something like this passed out of the labor committee 鈥� Minnesotans should know 鈥� that this effort is not just coming from a Republican party that is well known to be dominated by the concerns of the business community in the chamber, but is also coming out of the so-called Democratic Farmer Labor Party.鈥�
Six Democrat senators who are part of the joined Republicans in passing the modifications: Seeburger; Nick Frentz, of North Mankato; Robert Kupec, of Moorhead; Aric Putnam, of St. Cloud; Matt Klein, of Mendota Heights; and Grant Hauschild, of Hermantown. Sen. Jim Abeler from Anoka was the only Republican to vote against the bill.
Other states that have passed similar sick and safe time laws have exceptions for employers, some of which are temporary, including for employers with 10 or fewer employees; for 11 or fewer employees; and for 25 or fewer employees.
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The bill now heads to the House, and if passed, to Gov. Tim Walz鈥檚 desk before the modifications would become law. The Legislature is set to adjourn May 19.
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