Minnsights Blog

This year, the Legislature passed the most sweeping paid leave mandates on business in state history. Despite more than 80% of Minnesota members offering leave to their employees, the state now mandates all employers to grant employees sick, safe and paid time off equaling nearly 40% of a work year.

The Minnesota Chamber is pleased to offer valuable information to our members and community business leaders. We have received many, many questions from our members about what happened during this legislative session, and we’re here to help you make sense of how it’s going to impact your business. The purpose of this information is to provide an overview of policies and laws and equip business leaders with an understanding of compliance requirements and upcoming changes.

I’m coming to you this week from Washington, D.C., where we’ve been hosting our annual D.C. Fly-In. We’ve had a great group – more than 60 business leaders from Minnesota – joining us for meetings with the Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration and our congressional delegation. It’s a chance to elevate Minnesota’s business priorities on the national stage.

Small businesses are a critical driver of Minnesota’s economy. The state has over 500,000 small businesses that together employ over 1.3 million Minnesotans. 

As you know, the Legislature wrapped up their work on May 19, but they didn’t really finish. We’re anticipating a special session so they can complete the budget and other policy priorities. Before we jump into the specifics of the special session, I want to give you a quick update of where our economy stands, which relates directly to the important considerations ahead.