SF2952

SF2952 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Full-time graduate students exemption from the definition of public employee establishment

Related bill: HF2969

AI Generated Summary

Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to update the definition of "public employee" under Minnesota labor laws by excluding certain full-time graduate students. This change is intended to clarify which individuals are considered public employees and thus subject to specific employment regulations and benefits.

Main Provisions

The bill proposes an amendment to the Minnesota Statutes, specifically targeting a change in the definition of "public employee."
It seeks to exempt full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are employed by their educational institution, either under a work-study program or as part of financial aid, from being classified as public employees.
This exemption does not apply to students employed by the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota.
The exemption is irrespective of the number of hours these students work per week.

Significant Changes

Currently, various categories of workers are excluded from being defined as public employees, and this bill adds full-time graduate students employed by their school to this list.
The bill specifies that students employed under work-study programs or due to financial aid arrangements, except those at the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, shall not be considered public employees, potentially impacting their labor rights and eligibility for certain public employee benefits.

Relevant Terms

public employee exclusions, graduate students, work-study programs, financial aid, Minnesota labor laws, public employment definition, University of Minnesota, higher education employment, labor rights.

Bill text versions

Introduction PDF file

Actions

Date	Chamber	Where	Type	Name	Committee Name
March 23, 2025	Senate	Floor	Action	Introduction and first reading
March 23, 2025	Senate	Floor	Action	Introduction and first reading
March 23, 2025	Senate	Floor	Action	Referred to	State and Local Government

Citations

[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Exempts fulltime graduate students from the definition of public employee."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "This bill modifies the definition of public employee in Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 179A.03 subdivision 14.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies exclusion of certain categories from public employee status."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.03"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Notes exclusion of employees under certain contractual terms."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "Mentions section 16C.08 subdivision 1 in the context of professional or technical services contracts.",
      "modified": [
        "References how contracts are defined under state law."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "16C.08"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Clarifies which employees of charitable hospitals are considered public employees."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "Refers to section 179.35 for the definition of charitable hospitals in employee exclusions.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies the context in which hospital employees are considered public employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179.35"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "No new subsections added."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "References section 179A.051 in the context of charitable hospital employees as public employees.",
      "modified": [
        "Identifies applicability of this section to hospital employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.051"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "No new subsections added."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "References section 179A.052 related to charitable hospitals and public employees.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies this section's relevance to certain hospital employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.052"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "No new subsections added."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "Pertains to sections relevant to charitable hospital employees as public employees.",
      "modified": [
        "Touches upon employee relations within charitable hospitals."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.13"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Refers to the location-specific exclusion of certain university employees."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "Mentions this section in relation to exclusions of employees from public employee status.",
      "modified": [
        "Defines the geographical applicability for exclusion."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "136F.10"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Excludes certain supervisory roles from reclassification."
      ],
      "removed": [
        "No explicit removals noted."
      ],
      "summary": "Related to supervisory employees in context to section 179A.06 subdivision 2.",
      "modified": [
        "Clarifies definition and exclusion of supervisory employees."
      ]
    },
    "citation": "179A.06"
  }
]