Paid Leave Updates - July 2024

Implementation Update

Minnesota will be the 13^th state to launch a statewide Paid Leave program. We’re committed to collaborating with stakeholders to build an intuitive and accessible Paid Leave program that works for businesses, individuals, healthcare providers, and all Minnesotans.

Late last month, Minnesota Paid Leave Director Greg Norfleet travelled to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Equity in Implementation: Paid Leave Conference.” State paid leave administrators, stakeholders, federal government representatives and researchers discussed how to implement state paid leave programs in an equitable way, a top priority for Minnesota Paid Leave. While in D.C. for the conference, Director Norfleet and other state administrators were also invited to a meeting at the White House to discuss how state best practices could inform a future national paid leave program.

Greater Minnesota Employer Info Sessions

Minnesota Paid Leave will hit the road in Greater Minnesota in August and September to engage with Minnesota employers across the state, to spread awareness and answer questions about roles and responsibilities under the new state program. We are grateful to the Minnesota Chamber Foundation and our local chamber partners for hosting us at this series of local meetings. Dates on these meetings are posted below. Additional details will be available on our website in the coming days.

• St. Cloud, Aug. 7
• Brainerd, Date TBD
• Grand Marais, Aug. 20
• Hibbing, Aug. 21
• Duluth, Aug. 21
• Bemidji, Aug. 29
• Moorhead, Sept. 4
• Morris, Sept. 5
• Willmar, Sept. 5
• Worthington, Sept. 11
• Rochester, Sept. 12
• Marshall, Sept. 16
• Austin, Sept. 18
• Mankato, Sept. 26

Hiring Spotlight

Consider joining our team! We are a start-up in state government and are actively hiring for leaders to deliver on the promises of the legislation.

• Manager of Program Integrity and Internal Controls (Apply by August 1, 2024)

You can always find our latest open roles on our website.

Rulemaking

The Minnesota Legislature passed Paid Leave into law in 2023 and directed the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to administer and adopt rules necessary to carry out the Paid Leave program. Rulemaking in Minnesota follows procedures outlined in the Minnesota Administrative Procedure Act in Minn. Stat. Chap. 14.

Earlier this month, Minnesota Paid Leave concluded the initial draft comment period for rulemaking after an extensive public engagement process. A series of listening sessions attracted more than 950 attendees across all sessions, and nearly 600 written comments were submitted on draft and potential rules. Minnesota Paid Leave is thankful to the stakeholders who took the time to participate in this process. Your deep experience and unique perspectives will strengthen the rules and implementation of this important new undertaking, to deliver a Paid Leave program that works for all Minnesotans.

A review of the initial rulemaking public comment period and an overview of next steps can be found on the Minnesota Paid Leave website.

Top Questions We're Hearing

• How will Paid Leave benefits work alongside short-term or long-term disability plans?
  An employee may receive disability insurance payments in addition to family and medical leave benefits provided the employee is concurrently eligible for both benefits. Disability insurance benefits may be offset by family and medical leave benefits paid to the employee pursuant to the terms of a disability insurance policy.
  
  
• Does Paid Leave have an unpaid waiting week?
  No, there is no unpaid waiting week for the Paid Leave program.
  
  
• Which businesses will be eligible for small business assistance grants? To be eligible for small business assistance grants, an employer must have 30 or fewer employees and an average employee wage that is less than 150% of the statewide average annual wage. Both values will be calculated annually each September based on the previous four quarters of wage records.

For More Information

You can find FAQs for employers, individuals, and families on our webpage here.

To register your Paid Leave Only or joint UI and Paid Leave account to prepare for wage detail reporting, visit the Unemployment Insurance website.

Still Have Questions?

If you have a Paid Leave question that isn’t yet answered on our website, please submit your question here.

If you need help registering your Paid Leave Only or joint UI and Paid Leave account for wage detail reporting, contact the Unemployment Insurance employer helpline.