New Minn. laws target safe and sick time, ice fishing

Sick time, ice fishing, and renter's rights among issues tackled

NEW ULM -- As 2023 draws to a close, new laws from this year's legislative session will take effect at the start of the new year.

Earned safe and sick time will now be guaranteed for nearly all Minnesotan workers. With this new law, all employers must allow employees to earn at least one hour of paid safe and sick time for every 30 hours worked. The maximum accrual any employee can get from this system is 48 hours a year.

Any employer with one or more employees must follow this law. All employees, including part-time and temporary, are included under this law. To count as an employee, you must work at least 80 hours a year for an employer based in Minnesota. Independent contractors do not fall under this law.

A new ice fishing law looks to curtail litterbugs. The law will require anglers to secure their trash in a container, such as a garbage bag or trash bin. It also clarifies the prohibition of animal or human waste from being dumped on the ice.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has identified waste dumping as a major problem in the last few years. A major factor for the problem's increasing damage is deluxe fish house owners dumping their sewage holding tanks on the ice before leaving the lake.

With this new law, conservation and law enforcement officers will have an easier time taking action against ice fishers who litter and leave waste.

Past pay history is now off-limits to employers, employment agencies, and labor organizations. These organizations can no longer ask, consider, or require applicants to divulge their pay history to determine wages. Benefits, salary, and any other forms of compensation also can no longer be dictated by this information.

If applicants wish, they can voluntarily release this information. Employers would then be able to use this information to support a higher wage or salary.

There will be several changes in new laws for tenant-landlord situations. Landlords will now be required to provide heat of at least 68 degrees from Oct. 1 to Apr. 30 when the temperature is lower than 60 degrees. Landlords can only enter a tenant's apartment between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. If they wish to enter for any reason, they will need to provide 24 hours’ notice before doing so.

For owners of declawed pets, landlords who rent out property with animals allowed cannot discourage or refuse them from renting a unit. They also cannot force pet owners to declaw their animals.

In juvenile detention centers, strip searches cannot be conducted unless it meets three criteria. An immediate contraband concern must be present, other search techniques and technology fail to identify the contraband, and the facility's chief administrator has approved a strip search.

Using physical or social isolation of a juvenile as punishment has also been prohibited. It is only permissible if the safety of a juvenile, staff, or other residents is at risk.

A major change in education is access to menstrual products. Every school district and charter school is now required to make menstrual products free and accessible for students. They must be in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4-12, determined by a plan from each school district.

Those who wish to support state sports teams and organizations are in luck. Specialty license plates for the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Lynx, and United will become available in the new year. On top of the regular specialty license fee, an annual deposit of $30 or more into the sports team's foundation account is required. These funds can only be used by these teams for philanthropic or charitable purposes.

Plates for Lions Club International and Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives will also be available starting Jan. 1. Proceeds from these sales will go directly to these organizations. Blackout plates, which sport a black background and white text, will also become available.