Governor Mark Dayton isn’t saying whether he’d sign a bill the state Senate passed Thursday that would override Minneapolis and Saint Paul’s paid sick leave ordinances, and prevent communities from enacting any minimum wage higher than the statewide level. But the governor does say he has “very significant concerns” about the state pre-empting local ordinances, “particularly given the Republican mantra of devolving responsibility to more local levels of government. That’s what President Trump [wants], and it’s been a Republican theology in Washington since I’ve been around.” Backers say unless the legislature establishes uniform statewide standards, businesses will be confronted with a patchwork of local ordinances and could decide to expand somewhere other than Minnesota.
The governor indicates he’s reserving judgment on the bill until the House and Senate agree on a final version, but does say, “I’ve always believed minimum wage should allow people who work 40 hours a week or work full time to make enough money to be at the poverty level, which would be 12-50 an hour.”
Here are Gov. Dayton’s comments: