On June 14, 2026, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation passed during a one-day legislative special session that includes new employment laws or amends existing employment laws. The legislation—Senate File (SF) 17 / House File (HF) 15—clarifies requirements for meal and rest breaks, modifies the powers of the commissioner of labor and industries, increases penalties for employers that misrepresent or make false statements to the state’s unemployment insurance program, and modifies the state’s Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) law.

Quick Hits

• Starting January 1, 2026, employers in Minnesota must allow employees working six or more consecutive hours to take a thirty-minute unpaid meal break and a fifteen-minute unpaid rest break.
• The Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time law has been amended to allow employers to set reasonable notice requirements for unforeseeable leave and to require documentation for leave taken for two consecutive workdays, effective January 1, 2026.

Senate File 17 / House File 15 (SF17 / HF15)

SF17 / HF15, or the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development bill, introduces some notable employment law changes, some of which we previously discussed.

Meal and Rest Breaks

Minnesota meal and rest break statutes are currently vague, stating that employers must allow employees working eight or more hours to have “sufficient time” to eat a meal and with “adequate time” to use a restroom every four hours. Starting January 1, 2026, employers...

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