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HF2990 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Employee rights; mandatory break laws modified.

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

This Minnesota legislative bill aims to modify the state's mandatory break laws for employees. It seeks to ensure employees receive adequate rest and meal breaks and introduces penalties for employers who fail to comply with these requirements.

Main Provisions

  • Rest Breaks: Employers must give each employee a rest break of at least 15 minutes during every four consecutive hours of work. This time is intended for restroom use or to otherwise be relieved from work duties.

  • Meal Breaks: Employers are required to provide a minimum of 30 minutes for a meal break to employees who are working six or more consecutive hours.

  • Remedies and Penalties for Non-Compliance:

    • If an employer does not provide the mandatory rest or meal breaks, they must compensate the employee for the time that should have been allotted at the employee’s regular pay rate. Additionally, the employer owes an equal amount as liquidated damages.
    • The state commissioner can enforce a penalty of up to $1,000 per employee per day when these breaks are not provided.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

  • The bill changes the requirement from eight to six hours as the threshold for employees entitled to a meal break.
  • The bill introduces specific remedies and financial penalties for employers who fail to provide the required rest and meal breaks, which were not specified in previous statutes.

Relevant Terms

  • Rest breaks
  • Meal breaks
  • Liquidated damages
  • Penalties
  • Employee rights
  • Workplace regulations
  • Commissioner enforcement

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 31, 2025HouseFloorActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toWorkforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy
April 01, 2025HouseFloorActionMotion to recall and re-refer, motion prevailedJudiciary Finance and Civil Law

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "This bill modifies employee rest break laws under section 177.253.",
      "modified": [
        "Changes rest break provisions for employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "177.253",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 1"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "This bill modifies employee meal break laws under section 177.254.",
      "modified": [
        "Changes meal break duration requirements for employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "177.254",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 1"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "Clarifies payment obligations during meal breaks under section 177.254.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies that meal breaks do not require payment except as noted in another subdivision."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "177.254",
    "subdivision": "subdivision 2"
  }
]

Sponsors