MN House GOP brings forward, tables bill to delay Paid Family and Medical Leave
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Minnesota House Republicans brought forth a bill Monday that would have delayed implementation of the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave law by another year.
Originally passed during the DFL’s legislative trifecta, the law is currently slated to go into effect on January 1st, 2026. The Republican-backed bill would have moved the start date to 2027.
The bill was brought forward Monday afternoon and swiftly tabled by House Majority Leader Harry Niska (R-Ramsey). While Republicans currently hold a majority of 67 votes to the DFL’s 66, 68 votes are still needed to pass a bill in the Minnesota House. DFL members were likely to vote unanimously against the bill.
The bill was the latest in a long line of GOP “priority bills” to see the house floor this year. While their majority is still intact, Republicans hold majority membership on all house committees. That means they control which bills make it to the floor for a vote.
Republicans are expected to relinquish control of committees if the DFL wins a special election on Tuesday, which would bring the DFL back into a tie. Committees would then be tied, with bills likely needing bipartisan support to head to the floor.
DFL proponents of the original Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill say the GOP’s bill to delay the program is the latest push in an effort to gut the program.
“We know that it’s a repeal that Republicans are really after. They don’t just want to push back the start date for this program. They want to scrap it all together,” said Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL-Saint Paul).
Authors of the bill insisted that’s not the case.
“I am not repealing anything. We’re pausing it. We’re pausing this bill the way it is. I sure hope we can get serious trying to fix this,” said Rep. Dave Baker (R-Willmar).
Republicans argue that employers across the state need more time to prepare for the program’s implementation. The law will be implemented with a 0.88% payroll tax, split evenly between employees and employers.
“This means even less money in workers’ paychecks, and an even heavier burden on small businesses, already struggling to stay afloat with a very thin workforce,” said Baker.
DFLers said those arguments are unfounded; the bill treats small business owners differently from their larger counterparts.
“The system is designed to treat different size employers differently, and that’s already been taken into account. If last year, the Republicans would have joined us in working on this bill, instead of being so obstructionist all the time, they might understand better how it works,” said DFL House Leader and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park).
Three other bills went to the house floor Monday afternoon. Two passed, including a bill that would expand whistleblower protections for state employees speaking up against fraud.
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