Minnesota Senate passes jobs bill with earned sick and safe time

The Minnesota Senate has passed a wide-ranging jobs bill that includes earned sick and safe time for all employees across the state.

People employed in Minnesota, regardless of full-time or part-time status, are eligible to earn a minimum of one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked — up to 48 hours a year, unless an employer agrees to offer more. They can also accrue up to 80 hours of earned sick time.

Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to find a replacement to cover their shift or retaliate in any way, the bill states.

The provision does not apply to independent contractors or people who work the majority of their hours outside of Minnesota.

DFL leaders applauded the bill’s passage, calling it a win for Minnesota workers.

“This bill helps ensure no working Minnesotan has to choose between a paycheck and the time to care for themselves or a loved one,” said Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis.

Earned sick and safe time is folded into the jobs and economic development budget bill, which passed the Senate 69-61 on Tuesday. It now heads to the House for final passage.

Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, the bill’s chief author, said the bill also includes key investments in “marginalized communities” across the state through the PROMISE Act. The grant program would target small businesses affected by structural racism, civil unrest, lack of access to capital, population loss or lack of regional economic diversification.

Republican lawmakers say the earned sick time mandate will create a burden for employers and criticized “giveaways to nonprofits and partner organizations.”

“We are giving these groups over a billion on an uncompetitive basis — government choosing winners and losers is not good governance, nor does it give us the best value for our dollars,” Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, said in a statement.