Paid Leave developments at the Legislature

There has been a fair amount of chatter at the Capitol and in the media revisiting the Paid Leave program that the Legislature enacted during the 2023 legislative session, which is due to go into effect on January 1, 2026. At this time, Rep. Dave Baker (R-Willmar) has been taking the lead in advocating for and advancing revisions to this Paid Leave program. Those bills vary from one that pushes out the enactment date of the program by a year to bills with more nuanced revisions focusing on small businesses, seasonal workers, and how employees with a collective bargaining agreement are treated. It is notable that none of these bills have a Senate companion at this time. More details below:

• H. F. 1976 (Baker) — Modifying the Paid Leave law to change the seasonal worker definition to 180 days and excludes employees with a collective bargaining agreement as of January 2026 from the program until the collective bargaining agreement explicitly includes Paid Leave.
• H.F. 2024 (Baker) — Modifying the Paid Leave program to exclude small employers of 15 employees or less, broadening the seasonal worker provisions beyond hospitality employees, and revising the private plan requirements.
• H.F. 11 (Baker) — Delaying the Paid Leave program for one year.

For questions about Paid Leave legislation, please contact GMNP Executive Director Darielle Dannen at djdannen@gmnp.org.