New laws taking effect in Minnesota on Friday

By KSTP

Dozens of new provisions are set to take effect in Minnesota on Friday.

When passed, some laws contain a specific effective date. However, those that don’t include a specific date always automatically become effective on July 1 if they contain an item of appropriation or Aug. 1 if they don’t.

With that, below are some of the new Minnesota laws.

One of the more publicized laws is the clarified regulations on cannabinoids. The changes will allow businesses to sell edible products containing CBD. Any product will now be allowed to have up to 5 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per single serving or 50 mg per package.

A new horse racing fee aims to help racehorses after they’re done racing. The fee will use .25% of all wagers at horse tracks for supporting racehorse adoption, retirement and repurposing, and promote horse breeding in the state.

Employees of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission — the body that develops and maintains the model for sentencing standards — are becoming classified service employees, meaning they’ll be subject to different employment laws regarding hiring, firing and discipline decisions. Hiring for classified employees requires a more competitive process while firing them requires just cause.

The law authorizing $25 million for ALS research and support takes effect Friday. Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill in March in an emotional ceremony featuring Sen. David Tomassoni, I-Chisholm, who was diagnosed with ALS last summer.

Part of the omnibus education bill passed in last year’s special session will now prohibit kids in a publicly-funded preschool or kindergarten program from using individual screens — including tablets, smartphones and other digital media — without other students or a teacher also simultaneously using them. The measure is an effort to limit kids’ screen time.

The Department of Public Safety commissioner is getting $522,000 to create “a library of equipment to combat automobile-related theft offenses.” All law enforcement agencies are able to use those resources to crack down on car thefts.

School board members can now get paid a lot more. The state law now allows districts to pay board members up to $20,000 per year, up from $8,000.

An Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson and Board of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson will soon be created to investigate matters related to the welfare of youth in foster care. The new office aims to give more resources, advocacy and visibility to the protection of foster children.

The Department of Agriculture will make grants of up to $15,000 available for farmers’ down payments.

Many other provisions also take effect on July 1. Click here to see the full list.