Articles Discussing General Issues In Minnesota Labor & Employment Law.

Minnesota, Iowa Modify Employer Drug Testing Requirements

Minnesota and Iowa have longstanding drug testing laws that place them among the more difficult states for employer compliance. This year, both states modified their laws in ways that require employers to reevaluate their current practices and consider changes. 

Minnesota strengthens employment protections for

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

On May 1, 2025, the Minneapolis City Council voted to expand civil rights protections, effective August 1, 2025. Under the updated ordinance (Ordinance No. 2025-022), it will be illegal for employers in Minneapolis to discriminate based on a person’s height, weight, criminal record or history (now referred to as “justice-impacted

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently made updates to several documents and definitions for Minnesota government contractors. This is the third article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issued. The first part in the series covered the

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently updated several documents on its website for Minnesota government contractors. This is the second article in a series focused on the compliance responsibilities of Minnesota contractors holding workforce certificates that the MDHR issued. The first part in the series covered the workforce

In March 2025, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) updated its annual compliance report (ACR) without substantive changes. Two months later, the MDHR has issued a new two-part ACR with significant updates. The new ACR now includes two parts: “Part 1: Year in Review Narrative,” and “Part 2: Data

On May 19, 2025, the Minnesota Legislature’s regular session adjourned without completing the two-year budget, leaving a long list of outstanding bills in limbo. The Minnesota Legislature will now enter a special session to tackle unfinished business. Despite the regular session’s anti-climactic ending, state lawmakers managed to pass a handful

The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota recently sided with a natural gas distribution company in a lawsuit by an employee in a safety-sensitive position who alleged his discharge following a failed random drug test violated the Minnesota Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace Act (DATWA). The

Last year’s Minnesota legislative session resulted in a 1,000-page omnibus bill that included significant changes to the state’s labor and employment laws. As this year’s legislative session comes to a close, we predict a range of developments in employment and labor-related laws to emerge in omnibus bills or to be

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) recently updated several documents on its website for Minnesota government contractors, including the workforce certificate application, affirmative action program template (now “Compliance Plan”), annual compliance report (ACR), ACR instructions, and nondiscrimination poster. These changes were presumably made to minimize conflict with President Donald

After controlling Minnesota’s House, Senate, and governorship since 2023, the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party’s legislative and gubernatorial “trifecta” at the state capitol is no more. The 2025 regular session of the Minnesota Legislature began with Democrats and Republicans tied at sixty-seven members each in the House and a slim DFL

Joining a number of courts across the country that have ruled similarly, the District Court for District of Minnesota held recently that the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) prohibition against discrimination in “places of public accommodation” applies to websites. In Frost v. Lion Brand Yarn Company, the plaintiffs, who are