SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House has approved legislation to expand Earned Sick and Safe Time benefits to all Minnesota workers. The bill passed on a vote of 69-54 late yesterday. The legislation would ensure, at a minimum, one hour of paid Earned Sick and Safe Time for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours per year. Representative Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), voted to support the measure.
“Thousands of Minnesota workers are still forced to make an impossible choice between earning a paycheck and taking time off to care for themselves or a sick child,” said Rep. Klevorn. “There is dignity in all work, and our economy thrives when working Minnesotans have the ability to earn paid sick and safe time.”
Over 900,000 Minnesota workers – a third of the state’s workforce – lack access to any paid time off when they or a family member are ill or need to see a doctor. Under the bill, Earned Sick and Safe Time could be used for the following purposes:
- To attend to the worker’s physical and mental health needs, including illness, injury or doctor’s appointment
- To attend to the physical and mental health needs of a family member (including illness, injury or appointment)
- Absence due to domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking of the worker or a family member
- If the worker’s job site is closed because of weather or a public emergency, or if a family member’s school is closed
- If the health authorities have determined that the worker or his/her family needs to stay at home because they could jeopardize the health of others (like a pandemic)
Duluth, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and Bloomington already require employers to provide the benefit, while Minnesota now joins 16 other states guaranteeing it statewide. Following today’s vote, the Minnesota House has passed Earned Sick and Safe Time legislation in four of the past five sessions.
Video of the floor session will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube Channel. The legislation is advancing in the Minnesota Senate where it awaits a hearing in the Finance Committee.
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