Star Tribune
How new state laws will affect Minnesotans starting Jan. 1
Many new state laws take effect in Minnesota on Jan. 1, passed by the 2023 Legislature, which was controlled by Democrats. Here are some of the notable changes Minnesotans will see in the new year — from at their workplace to on the roadway:
Drivers:
Need a new license plate? You can now pay extra to get specialty license plates commemorating Minnesota’s six professional sports teams: the Vikings, Wild, Twins, Timberwolves, Lynx and United. The money from the plates, which were designed by each pro team, will support the sports teams’ charitable foundations. The new plates are part of nine new special license plates the state has added in 2024 — the most released in one year — and each costs $15.50 plus a minimum annual contribution of $30.
The Lions Club International will have a specialty plate, with funds benefiting its charitable foundation. And another plate will commemorate Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR), with funds going to the Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag (which means “they will be remembered forever” in Ojibwe) reward account to bring attention to cases. Residents also have requested Blackout plates featuring a black background with white text, which other states have, and those funds will support the Department of Public Safety’s Driver and Vehicle Services.
All of the new plates will be available Jan. 1, except the specialty plates for the Wild, Minnesota United and MMIR, which will be available in early 2024. The state has 123 different special plates and has issued about 143,000 special plates to drivers this year. In addition, starting Jan. 1, the department will add real-time information online about driver’s exam appointments and the Office of Traffic Safety can voluntarily collect race and ethnicity data of driver’s license applicants.
Education:
School districts must provide menstrual products for free.
Food safety:
PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals,” are banned for food and beverage packaging, such as fast-food burger wrappers and microwave popcorn bags. The state is one of 11 that have banned such uses in the coming year.
Housing:
Churches can now add micro-unit dwellings to their property to house homeless residents. New protections will also be implemented for renters, including requiring a landlord to inform them how much they owe in rent and discuss their rights before bringing an eviction action.
Political contributions:
Starting with 2024 donations, Minnesotans can get a higher tax refund for political contributions to Minnesota political parties and candidates for state offices. The tax refund was increased from $50 to $75 for individuals, and from $100 to $150 for joint filers. A campaign finance provision in a broader election law restricting election spending by companies with foreign ownership was set to take effect Jan. 1, but has been blocked by a judge.
Public safety:
Family members and law enforcement can now petition for an extreme risk protection order — also known as a red flag gun confiscation order — if someone with a firearm is believed to be in danger to themselves or others. Other gun safety changes, including expanded background checks, took effect earlier in 2023. Also, staff at juvenile detention facilities can’t conduct a strip search without specific contraband concerns and can’t isolate juveniles as punishment.
Sick time:
One of the most debated measures at the Legislature that takes effect Jan. 1 is sick and safe time. Employers have to allow workers up to 48 hours of paid sick time a year to care for their mental or physical health or care for a family member. It applies for all employers with one or more employees, and covers all employees, including part-time and temporary workers, who work at least 80 hours in a year. Companies with more generous sick time policies can continue to offer those. A separate paid family and medical leave program isn’t scheduled to roll out until January 2026.
Workers:
Employers can’t ask job applicants to disclose their pay history, though applicants can voluntarily provide the info. The legislation drew opposition from some business groups. But supporters said the rule, which 18 other states already have, will help eliminate gender and racial pay gaps by having employers rely on an applicant’s skills and qualifications to determine pay.
In addition, employers with more than 50 full-time employees must display a poster with information on veterans benefits. Meat-processing employers have to start a program to minimize and prevent musculoskeletal disorders. And Minnesota’s two oil refineries must follow new workplace training requirements.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed part of a state highway Wednesday evening near Austin because of a “major hazardous materials release” in the area.
Hwy. 56 from Hayfield to Waltham, a stretch covering about five miles, was closed in both directions and drivers were directed to follow a detour to Blooming Prairie on U.S. Hwy. 218.
No information on the hazardous materials released was immediately available.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a 2023 traffic stop.
The decision is the latest development in a case that has drawn heated debate over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Criminal charges against Londregan were dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in June, saying the prosecution didn’t have the evidence to proceed with a case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel granted Londregan’s motion to dismiss the civil suit, arguing he acted reasonably when he opened fire as Cobb’s vehicle lurched forward with another state trooper partly inside.
Londregan’s attorney Chris Madelsaid Wednesday that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice. Ryan Londregan has finally arrived.”
On July 31, 2023, the two troopers pulled over Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis for driving without taillights and later learned he was wanted for violating a felony domestic no-contact order. Cobb refused commands to exit the car.
With Seide partly inside the car while trying to unbuckle Cobb’s seatbelt, the car moved forward. Londregan then opened fire, hitting Cobb twice.
In her decision, Brasel said the troopers were mandated by state law to make an arrest given Cobb’s domestic no-contact order violation. She said it was objectively reasonable for Londregan to believe Seide was in immediate danger as the car moved forward on a busy highway, which would make his use of force reasonable.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Donald Trump walked down the steps of the Boeing 757 that bears his name, walked across a rain-soaked tarmac and, after twice missing the handle, climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also carried his name.
The former president, once a reality TV star known for his showmanship, wanted to draw attention to a remark made a day earlier by his successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, that suggested Trump’s supporters were garbage. Trump has used the remark as a cudgel against his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
”How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his white dress shirt and red tie. ”This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”
Trump and other Republicans were facing pushback of their own for comments by a comedian at a weekend Trump rally who disparaged Puerto Rico as a ”floating island of garbage.” Trump then seized on a comment Biden made on a late Wednesday call that “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
The president tried to clarify the comment afterward, saying he had intended to say Trump’s demonization of Latinos was unconscionable. But it was too late.
On Thursday, after arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an evening rally, Trump climbed into the garbage truck, carrying on a brief discussion with reporters while looking out the window — similar to what he did earlier this month during a photo opportunity he staged at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.
He again tried to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke had set off the firestorm, but Trump did not denounce it. He also said he did not need to apologize to Puerto Ricans.
”I don’t know anything about the comedian,” Trump said. ”I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard he made a statement, but it was a statement that he made. He’s a comedian, what can I tell you. I know nothing about him.”
