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HF2807 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

List of essential employees expanded.

Related bill: SF2261

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to expand the definition of "essential employees" under Minnesota law. This classification impacts labor relations, including collective bargaining rights and potential strike actions.

Main Provisions

  • Expansion of Essential Employee List: The bill amends the current statute to include a broader range of job roles as essential employees.
  • This expanded list explicitly includes current essential workers such as firefighters and police officers, but it notably adds public safety dispatchers, medical personnel engaged in death investigations, confidential and supervisory employees, and various legal and administrative personnel.
  • For state employees, the term encompasses all employees involved in law enforcement, public safety, health care, and correctional services, as well as those in professional engineering and supervisory bargaining units.
  • Within the University of Minnesota, the amendment classifies employees in law enforcement, nursing, and supervisory roles as essential.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

  • The bill modifies the existing definition of essential employees by broadening the categories of workers considered essential.
  • Previously, only certain roles like firefighters and police officers were clearly defined; this amendment clarifies and expands the roles to include more public service and safety-related positions.
  • Employees under the state court administrator and certain non-supervisory positions remain excluded from the essential classification to maintain existing rights.

Relevant Terms

  • Essential employees
  • Firefighters
  • Public safety dispatchers
  • Law enforcement
  • Health care professionals
  • Correctional guards
  • University of Minnesota
  • Collective bargaining
  • Strike actions

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 25, 2025HouseFloorActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toWorkforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Expands the list to include additional employee categories such as medical death investigators."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "This bill modifies the definition of essential employees under section 179A.03, subdivision 7.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies that all employees at Hennepin Healthcare System Inc. are considered essential."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.03",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 7"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "No changes but existing reference supports changes in definition of essential employees."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "References firefighter and peace officer licensure.",
      "modified": [
        ""
      ]
    },
    "citation": "626.84",
    "subdivision": ""
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "No changes but existing reference supports changes in definition of essential employees."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "References firefighter and peace officer licensure.",
      "modified": [
        ""
      ]
    },
    "citation": "626.863",
    "subdivision": ""
  }
]

Sponsors