Battle Lines Drawn Over Paid Family Leave

(St. Paul, MN) — Battle lines are now officially drawn at the legislature over paid family leave for Minnesota workers.

Republicans suggest employers be allowed to purchase insurance plans for employee benefit packages — but Governor Tim Walz says while he’s grateful for the proposal, it’s not workable.

Walz says at 25-thousand dollars a year per employee for premium, they’ll be priced “out of the market.”

Fergus Falls Representative Jordan Rasmussen says the governor and Democrats’ plan for a program modeled after unemployment insurance, “would require a new state-run bureaucracy” that would require hiring at least 300 new employees.

Republicans want tax credits for employers who have paid family leave insurance for their employees.