The debate over minimum wage and sick leave mandates in Minneapolis and St. Paul has reached the Capitol, and it's likely to be one of the most-watched measures moving through legislative committees over the next few weeks.
A House bill that would pre-empt Minnesota cities from enacting their own rules about wages, scheduling or paid leave has already cleared one committee and is headed for a second. The Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy is scheduled to take up its own version of the bill on Monday, in a hearing likely to draw considerable public turnout.
The House hearing last week had a packed crowd that stayed for hours — the meeting ran for nearly five hours, including a dinner break — with the majority of people in the audience in emotional opposition to the GOP-backed measure.
Many in the crowd helped get sick leave ordinances passed in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2016. They are concerned about a provision in the bill that would make the pre-emption retroactive to measures passed after Jan. 1, 2016 — taking away the sick-leave benefits that people in those cities have already been granted.
Business groups and some owners are worried that a growing list of regulations, on everything from wages to foam takeout containers, will hurt businesses. Workers and advocates, meanwhile, say businesses are ignoring the needs of low-income people in favor of their own bottom lines.
Even if GOP legislative majorities pass the measure, they face a skeptical reception from DFL Gov. Mark Dayton.
