Bill > HF2962

This bill modifies Minnesota's paid leave program by making several key changes to the existing law. The bill redefines the terms "employee" and "employer" to introduce a new category of "small employer" (defined as an employer with 15 or fewer employees), allowing these small employers and their employees to individually elect coverage in the paid leave program. The definition of "family member" is narrowed, removing some previously included relationships like siblings, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, and limiting the additional designee to one person per year. The bill also adjusts the maximum benefit weeks, now allowing up to 12 total weeks in a benefit year, with an additional two weeks specifically for pregnancy or childbirth-related serious health conditions, bringing the total potential benefit weeks to 14. Private plans offering paid leave are given more flexibility, allowing them to provide shorter leave durations if the total dollar value of wage replacement benefits meets or exceeds the public program's benefits. The bill modifies premium rates, capping the annual premium at 1% of taxable wages, and requires the commissioner to adjust rates annually based on actuarial studies to maintain a fund balance of at least 25% of total program expenditures. Most provisions of the bill will become effective between July 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026.

Labor and Employment

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2962&ssn=0&y=2025