Minnesota House passes paid family and medical leave bill

(St.Paul, MN) -- The Minnesota House is passing a state-funded, paid family and medical leave bill.

The bill would allow people who are pregnant or experiencing a health crisis up to 12 weeks of paid leave, and up to 12 additional weeks for family leave to care for a family member experiencing a serious health condition, bonding, safety leave, or for a qualifying emergency.

“At the core of this bill, we are reinforcing humanity for Minnesota workers,” said Rep. Richardson. “Creating a statewide family and medical safety net for families and workers is critical for our overall workforce development, retention, and economy. We have done an incredible amount of work to ensure the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) bill encompasses a diverse range of voices and perspectives. We know at some point in a person’s working career, they will need extended paid time to care for their family or themselves. I am proud of this bill because no longer will working families need to worry about compromising between their paycheck and the welfare of their loved ones.”  

Hundreds of new state jobs would be created to maintain the program, which will launch in July 2025. The bill passed in a 68 to 64 vote.

Full text of the bill can be found by clicking here.