Most Minnesotans oppose creating new bureaucracy for ‘paid family leave’

The latest poll for the Center’s Thinking Minnesota magazine captured the thoughts of Minnesotans on the subject of “paid family leave,” among other issues.

Minnesota Democrats are considering HF2/SF2 to create a new entitlement program for up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for your self, and an additional 12 weeks of paid leave to care for others, per year. The benefit would be initially paid for with budget surplus dollars, with a new payroll tax to sustain the multi-billion-dollar cost going forward.

As with any “free” money offer, the proposal enjoys broad popular support, as our poll found,

However, no one knows how much this new benefit will cost taxpayers and employers. Estimates of just the start up costs exceed $2 billion, and the program will require more than 300 additional bureaucrats to administer.

When voters learn of the costs, sentiment turns against the idea,

The paid family leave idea is second only to abortion among Democrats’ 2023 legislative priorities. The bill in the House is scheduled for its sixth different committee hearing on Thursday. In the state Senate, the bill has already been heard in six separate committees.