The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would create a Paid Family Leave program in Minnesota. 
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield), a supporter of the bill, said it would allow for 12 weeks for caring for an aging parent, and 12 weeks for welcoming a new family member, with up to an additional six weeks should there be complications with a pregnancy or birth.
According to the House of Representatives press office, a self-funding family and medical insurance benefit account modeled after the state’s unemployment insurance fund would be created to pay for the program.
Pursell said the program would tax a paycheck at .305% which would be matched by the employer. The bill would allocate $668.3 million in seed money for fiscal year 2024 before money collected from the new payroll tax would begin to fund the program. The Family and Medical Benefit Insurance account would be overseen by a new division within the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Employers would be allowed to institute private plans and not be required to pay premiums into the state program. However, private plans would need to meet or exceed all the same rights, protections, and benefits provided to employees under the state plan.
The bill was one of the DFL’s top priorities coming into the session, and Representative Pursell called it the “humane and compassionate thing to do.” Her own personal experience both as a mother and an employer played strongly into her support.
“For me, myself, to go through this both as an employee and as an employer, and wanting to give that benefit… You know, when I worked for a different nonprofit in the Twin Cities when I had my kids, I would get, I think 2 weeks paid, and then I was lucky enough that they said, ‘Well, then you can take another, you know, three months unpaid.’ And that’s not even an option for some folks.”
Republicans in the House were united in their opposition to the bill, as it passed along party lines 68-64. The main Republican objection was the difficulty it would pose for small businesses, not just through the new tax, but also how it could create more labor challenges in the face of an already depleted workforce.
Benefits would become available on July 25, 2024.
Rich Larson’s conversation with Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Transit Hub will be a multi-use facility
Last week the Northfield City Council approved the exterior plans for the planned transit hub and authorized the completion of construction specifications and 
documents.
The Transit Hub will be the next phase of work done at the site of the Historic Northfield Depot. A large, covered pavilion will be built to the immediate north of the depot, and adjacent to that will be another building that will house restrooms, a large waiting area and space for ticketing.
A Northfield Regional Transit Hub has been discussed for many years. It became an integral part of the city’s plan when the depot building was moved in 2016 from its original site to where it now sits one block to the North. In 2021, the city received $1.75 million from the State of Minnesota to construct the complex, and City Administrator Ben Martig said they had been hoping to begin the construction last year. However, plans have been delayed due to bureaucracy and a need to work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation on several facets of the project.
The process of completing the exterior design was heavily scrutinized by the Northfield Historic Preservation Commission. The Depot’s historic designation means that the new construction cannot be directly connected to the building, and the Commission was insistent that the new building look similar to the depot, but not the same, nor should it be larger or overpower the depot. The design will have a small parking lot, and could accommodate certain public events, as the depot has done since its refurbishment was completed.
Martig said the transit hub will be useful for bus routes in the Northfield area and has an eye to the future for other modes of transportation as well.
“The transit hub building itself is primarily a bathroom facility that would be available to the public. It’s also kind of a waiting area, like the pavilion. So, our bus routes will go through there. Benjamin Bus will be able to pick up people going into the cities for special events and maybe someday we’ll have passenger rail show up again.”
The final construction plan will be approved by the Council in August, the construction bid will be awarded in September. The city is hopeful that construction will begin in October and be finished sometime in 2024.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
School Board to hear budget, employment presentations
The Northfield School Board will meet tonight in the Northfield School District Office Boardroom, at the District Office building. 
Among the items on the agenda for tonight will be an end-of-year recap from members of the District Youth Council, and a pair of Cooperative recommendations, one establishing a High School Girls Swim and Dive Cooperative sponsorship with Arcadia Charter School, and another dissolving the boys hockey cooperative sponsorship with Randolph High School. There will also be several end-of-year budget presentations and employment recommendations, many based on the reduction of the general budget for the 2023-2024 school year.
The School Board will always invite public comment from those who live in the Northfield School District. Public comments for the regular school board meetings may be made in person at the beginning of the meeting. Those wishing to speak must sign up in person prior to the beginning of the meeting. The boardroom opens at 5:30 p.m.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
