Paid family and medical leave for Minnesota workers is one step closer to a reality. Last week, the Minnesota House passed a bill that establishes the program. It’s on its way to the Senate where it will most likely pass.
Here’s Five Fast Facts about Minnesota’s Employee Leave Bill:
- ✒️ Just Leave - The bill establishes a state-run insurance program that gives Minnesota workers up to 18 weeks of paid family and medical leave every year. Supporters say it will attract people to the state’s job market, further reducing a worker shortage.
- 🤢 I Said Leave - The bill gives leave benefits to employees unable to work due to pregnancy, pregnancy recovery, or other serious health conditions. It also gives benefits to those who have to miss work because of a family member’s serious health condition, a qualifying emergency, safety leave, or bonding leave.
- 💊 Disagreement - Republicans say the bill hurts employers with less than 50 employees and that the program should be privately run rather than run by the state, in order to keep costs lower.
- ⚕️ You Tried - Some lawmakers submitted changes to the bill that would make it so employers aren’t required to offer a leave plan, but it allows voluntary participation in a plan that offers the same leave benefits state employees currently have.
- 🏥 Not Alone - If passed, the bill puts Minnesota in rare company. There are only 11 other states and the District of Columbia that currently have paid family and medical leave laws.
🔥Bottom line: The bill may not be perfect but it fills a need that workers in Minnesota have been talking about for a long time. Most companies aren’t offering this benefit willingly. So, it makes sense that the government is stepping in to do something.
What do you think of the bill? Do you support paid family/medical leave?
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