After controlling Minnesota’s House, Senate, and governorship since 2023, the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party’s legislative and gubernatorial “trifecta” at the state capitol is no more. The 2025 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature began with Democrats and Republicans tied at sixty-seven members each in the House and a slim DFL majority in the Senate, meaning no single party can push through its agenda alone.

With every vote carrying significant weight in the session, legislators must reach across the aisle to achieve the majority vote required to pass bills. The question is, who will compromise, and what will it take to break the tie?

Quick Hits

This divide in the Minnesota Legislature means uncertainty for Minnesota employers. Critical issues, such as Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) laws, may either face delays or require bipartisan compromise to advance. Employers should stay alert until the end of the legislative session on May 19, 2025, as the legislature negotiates the future of Minnesota’s labor and employment laws.

This article previews key proposed bills that would impact employers if enacted. While it is too early to predict which bills will reach the governor’s desk, the nature of the proposed legislation offers insight into the extent of the legislative divide and the effort required by the legislature to pass any bills.

Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time

A handful of proposed bills would amend Minnesota’s ESST law, but none have advanced past their introduction and first reading. These bills sit in the Minnesota House of Representatives’ Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee and the Minnesota Senate’s Labor Committee, respectively.

House File (HF) 2025 / Senate File (SF) 2300 would create the most significant changes among the proposed bills. These companion bills, among other amendments, would:

Other proposed bills would exclude farm employees working for farms with five or fewer employees (HF 1057 / SF 310), Department of Transportation workers (HF 1905), and inmates of correctional facilities (SF 947) from certain requirements; exclude employees appointed to serve on boards or commissions from certain definitions (HF 758 / SF 494); and give employers the option to provide certain benefits (HF 1542 / SF 2572). HF 1325 / SF 2605 would prohibit penalties for violations before January 1, 2026, and provide various exemptions and proration options for small employers.

Paid Family and Medical Leave (Paid Leave)

Various proposed bills aim to change the Paid Leave Law, including potentially delaying its implementation for another year or repealing it altogether. Notably, HF 0011 / SF 2529 would delay the law’s implementation by one year, meaning employees would not receive benefits until January 1, 2027. Once it was sent to the House floor for debate and vote, the House laid HF0011 on the table. No further action will be taken until the House reconsiders the bill.

Other related bills to watch:

Nondiscrimination

The legislature introduced numerous bills targeting nondiscrimination laws, which are summarized here.

Independent Contractors

The legislature has taken up several bills related to independent contractors. Below is a summary of the key bills currently under consideration:

Job Postings, Employment Agreements, and Unions

The legislature also introduced bills that would affect job posting requirements, employment agreements, and unions. Namely:

Job Postings

Employment Agreements

Unions

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