The legislative session so far: $20 minimum wage, plus a myriad of other proposed regulations

In a newly introduced bill SF 4019, three DFL senators have suggested gradually raising Minnesota’s minimum wage for large employers to $20 by 2028. Currently, large employers pay $10.85 an hour.

The minimum wage for small employers, which currently is at $8.85, will also rise to $18 by 2028. After 2028, the minimum wage will be adjusted for inflation every year for both small and large employers, per Minnesota law.

But that is not the only bill proposing minimum wage changes.

Another bill, SF 3947, would require both large and small employers to pay the same minimum wage beginning in 2025. That is, the minimum wage for smaller employers, which currently sits at $8.85 an hour will rise to what big businesses are currently paying — $10.85 an hour.

In addition to raising the minimum wage, a myriad of other proposals have been introduced in this session.

Landlords

Despite numerous laws passed for landlords in the 2023 legislative session, new proposals this year are already out. These include:

SF 3571: Requires landlords to refund renters any money they have spent or give them alternative housing options if there have been delays in the construction, rehabilitation, modification, or reconstruction of rental housing for which the renter has already signed a lease.

SF 3587: This proposal if passed would require “landlords to disclose that an assistance animal is not subject to a pet fee.”

SF 3625; HF 3350: Limits over the year rental increases for low-income rental housing restricted to seniors.

SF 3780, HF 3640: Prohibits landlords, sellers, or property managers from discriminating against people based on their participation in a public assistance program.

HF 3845; SF 3553: Specifies when landlords can ask tenants to renew leases and also requires landlords to take extra effort in communicating summons to renters.

SF 3807: Requires landlords to undertake radon testing and mitigation every three years.

Other business rules

The proposal to create a minimum wage for transportation network drivers and require network transportation companies to provide insurance is back this session — SF 3413.

If passed, a couple of bills would create new mandates for health insurance companies. SF 3794 and HF 3976, for example, require “health plans to cover over-the-counter contraceptives approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.” Another proposal, SF 3970 would require health plan companies to provide coverage for the management and treatment of obesity. And SF 3510 prohibits “insurers from requiring co-payments for children’s mental health services.”

For people involved in the cosmetologist industry, such as cosmetologists, hair technicians, and salon managers, bills SF 3512 and HF 3964 would require that they “(1) successfully complete training on the properties of the hair and all hair types and textures, including coil, curl, or wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses, and volumes of hair; and (2) have experience providing services to individuals with hair of all types and textures, including coil, curl, or wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses, and volumes of hair.”

Currently, the “review and access of personnel records for private sector employees” is reserved for employees with 20 employees or more. But bills SF 3544 and HF 3522 would extend that provision to any employer with one or more employees.

And of course, there is the bill to regulate the sale of paint.

Proposal SF 3613 creates a new license for clinical art therapists. If this bill passes, applicants will be required to, among other things, possess a Master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited college to be licensed clinical art therapists.

SF 3725 would require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings.

Another interesting proposal SF 4071 would require that if an employer has worked for seven consecutive days, an employer must pay the overtime rate (of 1-1/2) for every hour worked on the seventh day, even if the employee did not work more than 40 hours during the work week.

For repairs costing more than $100, businesses will be required to provide a written estimate, if the customer asks, under the proposal HF 3981.

The list of new proposals could go on and on.

The takeaway

The appetite for big government remains unsatiated in St. Paul despite last year’s “historic” session. That should be concerning for every Minnesotan.

As I previously wrote, regardless of what the intentions are, a big government, in the end, helps no one.