As we reported, the 2025 Minnesota Legislature special session concluded on Tuesday, June 10th with Governor Walz signing legislation on Saturday, June 14th. Although the 2025 legislative session did not see as many changes as last year, there are some very important takeaways.
Below is a summary of significant legislative changes for Minnesota employers.
Mandatory Work Breaks
Effective January 1, 2026, employers must provide employees with a rest break of (i) at least 15 minutes; or (ii) at least enough time to reach the nearest convenient restroom—whichever is longer—for every four consecutive hours of work. This change therefore establishes the minimum duration of time afforded for rest breaks. In conjunction with these changes, the legislature also added new remedies (namely, penalties) for failure to provide mandatory work breaks.
Mandatory Meal Breaks
Effective January 1, 2026, employers must provide 30-minute unpaid meal breaks to any employee that works six or more consecutive hours. Previously, an employee had to work eight or more consecutive hours to be entitled to a meal break and the statute did not express a finite number of minutes associated with a meal break. Here too, there are new remedy/penalty provisions that will apply.
Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Definitions
The legislature amended the definition of “nursing home employer” to only include those that operate licensed nursing homes in Minnesota which are Medicaid-certified and reimbursed by the state.
Minnesota Nursing Home Standards Board Duties
The Nursing Home Standards Board is now required to carefully contemplate the financial impact of rules it promulgates relating to wages or benefits for nursing home workers. Further, new job standards promulgated by the Board will now go into effect pursuant to one of two “pathways.” Under the first pathway, if the cost increases associated with the new job standard is within the Board’s budget limits, the Board can set the start date of the standard. Under the second pathway, if the cost increases associated with the new job standard exceed what is appropriated in the state budget to the Board, the new job standard only goes into effect after the state approves the additional funding and the federal government approves of the arrangement. If the Board seeks to implement a rule under pathway two during a year when strict limits on cost increases are in place, any funding to cover costs that exceed those contemplated in the budget must be awarded through special processes that adjust the payment rates that nursing homes receive.
Expansion of Whistleblower Protections For State Employees
The legislature amended whistleblower laws with the result being that state employees may not be discharged or otherwise retaliated against for reporting fraud, misuse, or related conduct by state programs, services, or financing to specific entities. These entities include legislators, constitutional officers, their employers, governmental bodies, or law enforcement officials. The legislature also added definitions for fraud, misuse, and personal gain to define what constitutes conduct which whistleblowers will receive protections for if they report:
- Fraud: an intentional or deceptive act, or failure to act, to gain an unlawful benefit.
- Misuse: the improper use of authority or position for personal gain or to cause harm to others, including the improper use of public resources or programs contrary to their intended purpose.
- Personal gain: a benefit to a person; a person’s spouse, parent, child, or other legal dependent; or an in-law of the person or the person’s child.
Earned Sick and Safe Time
The 2025 legislative session also saw several slight amendments to the Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time laws. First, employers may now require employees who have an unforeseeable need for the use of earned sick and safe time to give notice for the need as reasonably required by the employer. Previously, employers could require notice in this scenario “as soon as practicable.”
Second, when employees use earned sick and safe time for more than two consecutive scheduled work days, employers may require reasonable documentation that the time is covered by the statute. Previously, the threshold for triggering the ability to request reasonable documentation was three consecutive scheduled workdays.
Third, the legislature added additional language to the provision that prevents employers from requiring employees to find replacement workers to cover hours they use as earned sick and safe time. This provision states that employees can voluntarily seek or trade shifts with replacement workers to cover hours the employee uses as earned sick and safe time.
Fourth, effective January 1, 2026, the provision permitting front loading of earned sick and safe time will permit employers to advance earned sick and safe time to an employee based on the number of hours the employee is anticipated to work for the remaining portion of the accrual year, subject to certain limitations and requirements.
Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Benefits Program
The 2025 session saw very minor amendments to the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Benefits Program. First, the legislature capped the annual payroll premium rate at 1.1 percent of taxable wages paid to each employee. Previously, this percentage was 1.2 percent.
Second, the legislature expanded permissible uses of program data to certain, other government agencies such as the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Importantly, the 2025 regular and special sessions did not pause the implementation date for Minnesota Paid Family Leave (“MPFL”), and therefore, the effective date remains January 1, 2026.
Bottom Line
Although this legislative session may seem “light” as compared to 2024, the changes to Minnesota’s meal and rest break requirements constitute a significant development that will require careful consideration, planning and active management. This, coupled with the looming implementation of MPFL will keep employers hopping as we head toward year end.
*A special thanks to Fidelina G. Valverde-Rivera for her assistance with tracking the results of the 2025 legislative session and for her contributions to this post.