Paid family and medical leave bill headed to Gov. Walz's desk
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A bill creating a state-run paid family and medical leave program is heading to Gov. Tim Walz's desk after the Minnesota Senate passed it late Thursday afternoon.
The Minnesota Senate voted 34-32 for the creation of the program offering up to 20 weeks of time off for a serious medical condition or caring for a family member, including bonding with a newborn.
Both chambers of the legislature passed a bill for paid leave earlier in the session, but some differences had to be worked out in committee.
Benefits will start in 2026 and that's when a payroll tax increase to fund the program will kick in, too.
Only 24% of Minnesota's workforce now has access to paid leave, according to the bill's lead author Democratic Sen. Alice Mann, of Edina.
She said the "vast majority" are among the state's highest earners. Among the lowest-wage earners, predominantly women and people of color, she said, only 6% have access to paid leave.
Eleven other states and Washington D.C. have passed and implemented a Paid Family and Medical Leave program.