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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I had a chance meeting with Baroness Beeban Kidron, a member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, who was visiting the Capitol yesterday. She is leading the fight to protect kids from exploitation by Big Tech in the UK. As you know, I have been working on my bill to prevent social media algorithms from targeting kids with unsolicited content. It was a great opportunity to learn more about her work in the UK and how it is impacting what kids experience on social media.
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Executive Summary
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Paid Earned Sick and Safe (ESST)
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Labor Trafficking
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Xcel Energy Smart Meters
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Helpful Links
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Paid Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST)
Last night House Democrats passed a one-size-fits all mandate that will hurt Minnesota's small business, which are still recovering from COVID shutdowns and trying to survive amidst record inflation and workforce shortages.
Here’s a brief outline of the bill’s requirements:
- It applies to all Minnesota employers (except construction unions) who have one or more employees – including cities, counties, school districts, and non-profits. For comparison, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act exempts employers with less than 50 employees.
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It applies to all employees – full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal.
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The reasons employees can take paid “sick and safe leave” are extremely broad. In addition to paid leave for your own illness, or that of a parent or child, the bill also allows employees to take paid leave to care for:
- A sibling, step-sibling or foster sibling;
- Grandchildren, step-grandchildren or foster grandchildren;
- A niece or nephew;
- An aunt or uncle;
- A son or daughter-in-law or a brother or sister-in-law;
- Any of the family members listed above of your spouse or domestic partner;
- Any other individual related by blood or whose close association is the equivalent of a family relationship;
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OR up to one individual annually designated by the employee.
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Leave starts accruing on the first day of employment; most paid leave plans don’t start until after the employee has worked 90 days or one year.
- It mandates onerous record-keeping requirements;
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Failure to deliver documents properly to the Dept. of Labor & Industry (DoLI) can result in a $10,000 fine per violation. Current fines for DoLI violations are $1000. This new fine threshold would apply to ALL areas DoLI regulates, not just Earned Sick & Safe Time.
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It creates significant employer liability – the bill creates a private right of action for employees to sue employers if they fail to provide leave or notice or document it properly. Employers may be liable for consequential damages (like lost gratuities or back pay.) They would also be required to reimburse DoLI and the attorney general for litigation and hearing costs.
This mandate is more extreme than current local earned sick and safe time ordinances in Minneapolis, Bloomington, and Duluth and the state’s collective bargaining agreement for state employees.
It also takes away local control – all of these local policies will be pre-empted by this one-size-fits-all-mandate.
I’ve heard from so many small business owners who try so hard to work with their employees to provide the benefits and flexibility they need when illness or other issues come up. They cover shifts, allow people to leave early for a sick child and do so many other big and small things to accommodate situations in their employees’ lives.
That flexibility is key for our small employers and employees to meet BOTH parties’ needs. This has been the key to the vitality of our economy.
Most employers are already facing a severe worker shortage. Mandating a particular type of benefit will force them to either reduce wages, reduce the number of employees, or limit their flexibility to provide other benefits employees may prefer – such as more vacation time.
All of our amendments to improve the bill, such as carve outs for small businesses, limiting the amount of paid leave that can be carried over, reducing the fine from $10,000 back $1,000, etc., were rejected by the Majority.
I voted “no” on HF 19 because it will increase labor costs for small businesses at a time when they need flexibility to keep their doors open. I want Minnesota to be a place where businesses and employees can thrive. This one-size-fits-all-mandate does not recognize the diverse needs of businesses and employees throughout our state.
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Labor Trafficking
The House also passed a bill last night to establish criminal penalties for labor trafficking. Here are the changes that were included in the bill:
- Adds "coerced" to the definition of "forced labor or services" and expands the definition to include threats of nonconsensual sexual contact, psychological, economic, or reputational harm, in addition to the current definition of threats of bodily harm, physical restraint, or threatened abuse of the legal process.
- Adds a new crime to the labor trafficking statute for labor trafficking of an individual resulting in death as a result of the labor trafficking. The penalty is a maximum of 25 years in prison and/or up to a $40,000 fine.
- Adds the definitions of "forced or coerced labor or services," "labor trafficking," "labor trafficking victim," "trafficking," and "trafficking victim" to the prostitution and sex trafficking definitions statutes.
These increased penalties for victims of labor trafficking are similar to our sex trafficking statute and are necessary to ensure that victims are protected and that anyone engaging in this practice is held accountable.
I was happy to support this bill to protect workers in Minnesota!
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Xcel Energy Smart Meters
I have heard concerns from several constituents regarding recent changes with Xcel Energy's new “smart readers.”
Xcel, like many other electric utilities, is upgrading old meters to new smart readers that can be read remotely. Customers who do not want to have the smart meters can opt for a new reader that does not connect to the internet or communicate remotely, but they will have to pay an additional $15 per month to cover the cost having an employee come out and read the meter.
I met with both Xcel and the Public Utilities Commission to understand this change and how it was approved without customers being aware of it. Notice for public comment was provided prior to the decision on the PUC’s website and other communication channels, but most people were unaware of it until Xcel put a notice in customer’s bills 90 days prior to the change going into effect.
The new $15 fee is the estimated cost for a manual meter reading and it was first approved back in 2021. Although the fee is scheduled to take effect next month, the PUC will still be taking public comment about how the rollout is going and how it is affecting consumers.
Constituents who have Xcel as their provider can follow this case, which is docket 20-592 with the PUC, by going to their eDockets webpage: eDockets / Public Utilities (mn.gov), select the docket number, and click “subscribe.”
You can submit comments three ways – online, email or US mail.
I hope this helps constituents who are concerned about this better navigate the complex comment process and have their voices heard!
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Helpful Links
SciTech Internship Program: This is a great resource for students to find STEM internship opportunities. Employers can also use their service to find STEM talent and get a 50% wage match on the intern's wages up to $2,500. You can learn more here.
Corcoran Lions Scholarship: The Corcoran Lions Club awards scholarships for Corcoran students graduating from high school and planning post-secondary education. You can learn more and apply here by April 14.
Saint Therese Youth Volunteer Service Award: Saint Therese awards two $2,000 scholarships to students in recognition of youth volunteers who enrich the lives of seniors each year. You can learn more and apply by February 28 here.
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Photos
Had such great conversations with students from the Osseo Area Learning Center! These students are smart, hard-working and great advocates for education & other issues they care about. One of my favorite meetings every year! Thanks for stopping by!
Great to see all of the amazing research Minnesota Private Colleges students are doing at Young Scholars Day at the Capitol! These students are doing exciting research with real-world impacts in fields of biology, quantum physics, cancer research, and measuring time in space. So inspired to see all their areas of interest and expertise!
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Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.
The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn.gov. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked multiple times/week.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin
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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |
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