The Democrat-controlled Minnesota House over Republicans’ objections Thursday night passed a paid family and medical leave bill that would create a statewide funding pool, much like unemployment insurance, with employers and employees sharing the cost. Northfield Democrat Todd Lippert voted yes, telling his colleagues, “We see couples where one has early onset dementia and the other is caring for her husband,… has to keep her job at the same time because they need that money… and the weight of it all is so heavy that… we are all concerned about the safety of both of them.” But Albert Lea Republican Peggy Bennett warns a state mandate for employers to provide paid family and medical leave “will destroy the lifeblood of my local community. It will destroy the job providers of my local community, because that’s what small businesses are.”
The bill has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says employers already offer options which are more flexible and work better for their employees. But House Democratic Majority Leader Ryan Winkler says, “We will not continue forever down the path of greater divides of income, providing more insecurity for more people. The political system will respond.”