Minnesota Democrats Moving Ahead With State Paid Leave Program Proposal, Which They Call A "Top Priority"

By Caroline Cummings, CBS Minnesota

January 19, 2023

A Minnesota Senate committee on Wednesday advanced a bill that would create a new state family and medical leave program, which would guarantee paid time off for the three in four workers in the state who don't already have that benefit.

Under the plan, Minnesotans would be eligible for 12 weeks to care for a family member, including a newborn baby, and an additional 12 weeks for medical leave for a serious health condition that would keep the person out of work for more than seven days.

It would only be partial wage replacement determined on a pay scale, said Steve Grove, commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. His agency would oversee the program, modeled after how jobless claims are paid out, and it would be funded by a payroll tax increase of 0.7%, shared between the employee and employer.

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