Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to provide specific unemployment insurance exceptions for individuals who have been laid off from the iron ore mining industry in Minnesota within a designated time frame. The bill seeks to assist these laid off workers by offering them more flexibility in taking temporary jobs while still receiving benefits.

Main Provisions

• Eligibility: The bill applies to those who were laid off from the iron ore mining industry between April 1, 2025, and July 2, 2025.
• Temporary Work Exception: It considers work in the emergency medical services (EMS) sector as an acceptable reason for not seeking suitable employment in their usual field. This allows affected workers to take temporary jobs in EMS without penalty.
• Unchanged Benefits: Workers who take temporary EMS jobs will not have these earnings deducted from their weekly unemployment benefits.

Significant Changes

• Overrides existing Minnesota unemployment insurance laws by allowing laid-off iron ore workers to take EMS jobs without being penalized or having their unemployment benefits reduced.

Relevant Terms

iron ore mining, unemployment insurance, emergency medical services, temporary employment, laid off, Minnesota legislature