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HF3030 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Approval of site-specific modifications to sulfate water quality standards during pendency of related rulemaking facilitated, reactive mine waste storage provided, and additional unemployment insurance benefits provided.

Related bill: SF3216

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to provide specific support and regulation modifications concerning environmental standards, storage of mine waste, and workforce unemployment benefits in Minnesota. It addresses both environmental policies and economic support for laid-off workers in certain industries.

Main Provisions

  • Unemployment Insurance Benefits:

    • The bill introduces a program for additional unemployment benefits for workers laid off from the iron ore mining industry or related explosive manufacturing industries between March 15, 2025, and June 15, 2025.
    • Eligible workers can receive benefits for up to 26 weeks after their regular unemployment benefits are exhausted.

  • Eligibility and Benefit Amounts:

    • To qualify, applicants must have worked in the specified industries and have established a benefit account with at least 50 percent wage credits from the affected employers.
    • The benefit amount matches the weekly regular unemployment benefits for the worker, extending the support period.

  • Qualifying for New Benefits:

    • Applicants who qualify for a new regular unemployment benefit account must first exhaust those benefits before claiming additional ones.
    • The bill safeguards against diminishing benefits by ensuring workers receive whichever is higher: regular or additional benefits.

  • Employer Tax Rates:

    • Additional unemployment benefits do not affect the future unemployment tax rates of taxpaying employers nor the reimbursing accounts of government/nonprofit employers, except those directly involved in the significant layoffs.

  • Federal Benefits Interaction:

    • Workers eligible for federal Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits are not eligible for these additional state unemployment benefits.

Significant Changes

  • The bill facilitates changes to sulfate water quality standards enforcement, allowing temporary site-specific modifications during rulemaking processes.
  • It includes provisions for the handling and storage of reactive mine waste, indicating new regulations or procedures for environmental safety and compliance.
  • It repeals specific Minnesota Rules part 6132.2200, suggesting an overhaul or removal of existing regulatory measures related to mining.

Relevant Terms

  • Unemployment benefits
  • Iron ore mining industry
  • Explosive manufacturing
  • Environmental regulation
  • Sulfate water quality standards
  • Reactive mine waste storage

Bill text versions

Past committee meetings

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 31, 2025HouseFloorActionIntroduction and first reading, referred toWorkforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy
April 01, 2025HouseFloorActionAuthor added

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Inclusion of specific eligibility based on the percentage of wage credits."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "This bill references eligibility criteria for unemployment benefits accounts under section 268.07.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies eligibility for additional unemployment benefits tied to specific industries."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "268.07",
    "subdivision": ""
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Specific tie of eligibility criteria to additional unemployment benefits."
      ],
      "removed": [
        ""
      ],
      "summary": "This bill references general eligibility requirements for unemployment benefits under section 268.069, subdivision 1.",
      "modified": [
        "Specifies required adherence to existing regular unemployment benefit criteria."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "268.069",
    "subdivision": "subdivision1"
  }
]

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