Minnesota Rolls out Paid Family and Medical Leave

Transcript

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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live. Today in Minnesota…

ANCHOR: …why Minnesota may have to stop selling THC edibles and drinks. Then, a new state requirement to benefit employees is creating questions and confusion for business owners, and a funding opportunity for the state's urban farmers.

I'm Gracie J.

A provision tucked into the federal government funding bill could effectively shut down Minnesota's booming THC edibles and beverages market. THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, and it interacts with the body to produce various effects. The measure caps hemp-derived products at 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, far below the serving found in Minnesota's drinks and edibles. Minnesota currently has 5,000 licensed retailers and generates more than $200 million in annual revenue from hemp-derived THC products. It's still unclear how the provision will affect the industry.

In today's main story, as Minnesota gets ready to roll out its paid family and medical leave program, small businesses are working to understand what the new law will mean for them and what they need to do. Faaya Adem reports.

Faaya Adem: Minnesota's new paid leave law is a statewide insurance fund that will offer employees guaranteed time off and job protection for medical leave. It will start January 1. But for some business owners, there is still a lot of confusion.

Matt Caron: Right now, I don't really know that much about it.

Faaya Adem: Matt Caron is a co-founding partner at Caron Chiropractic in St. Paul, which has 18 employees.

Matt Caron: As I'm aware, we need to let our employees know more about it and then kind of learn more about exactly what it is and what it entails. It sounds like if someone has a need for the family leave, there are certain criteria that the state will decide if that's okay or not.

Cedrick Frazier: The program as itself, foundationally, it allows 12 weeks of paid medical leave. You can also qualify for bonding time. If you qualify for both of those within one 12-month period, you can only get up to a total of 20 weeks off.

Faaya Adem: That's State Representative Cedrick Frazier explaining how the program works.

Cedrick Frazier: For some of our independent contractors, they can opt in. So if you're not employed within a particular organization, you can opt in and have access to the state program, which can be a good benefit. This is really going to be important for small businesses that can't afford to run this type of program or provide this kind of benefit themselves.

Faaya Adem: Right now, Matt Caron's clinic doesn't have a formal plan in place if an employee needs to go on leave but he says they've handled it before on an informal basis.

Matt Caron: We've had different people take time off for maternity and other things, and it seems like it works out okay.

Faaya Adem: The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development website says businesses with 30 or fewer people and lower average wages qualify for a reduced premium rate. There are grants to help businesses pay for extra staff, higher wages or training while an employee is on paid leave. Representative Frazier says the goal is to make it easier on employers.

Cedrick Frazier: I think the main thing that should be noted is that this program, for a majority of employers, the program is going to be run through the state. So they can actually refer the employees directly to the department to access the program.

Faaya Adem: That's something Dr. Matt is happy to hear.

Matt Caron: I kind of thought, well, that might be kind of good having something like that. And that seemed like it wasn't going to be a big cost.

Faaya Adem: Many businesses are now waiting for the program to roll out to find out more about how it works.

Matt Caron: On the face of it, it sounds like a good idea and we'll just see how it rolls out. We've talked about it like in one little staff meeting and I don't think they understand much about it. It'll be interesting to see if they like it or not.

Faaya Adem: Employers must give workers a written notice about the new paid leave by December 1, and the program itself begins January 1. For more information, visit pl.mn.gov. For North Star Stories, I'm Faaya Adem.

Anchor: You are listening to North Star Stories.

Urban farmers can now apply for grants to support conservation-focused improvements on their farms. To be eligible, farms must be commercially operating in Minnesota and located in, or selling into, a city with more than 5,000 residents, or be located on federally recognized tribal land and serving tribal community members. Grant funds can cover tools, supplies, services, and other expenses tied to conservation improvements. Applications are available in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali and can be found on the Urban Farm Conservation Grant web page.

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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.