SF4056

Purpose

• Expand Minnesota’s Human Rights Act to protect veterans and military status from discrimination. The bill adds veteran or military status as a protected characteristic across multiple areas (employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, and education) and sets the state’s anti-discrimination policy to include protections for those who served in the armed forces or National Guard. It also emphasizes the public policy goal of preventing unfounded discrimination and supports positive action efforts to fight discrimination.

Key Definitions

• Veteran or military status: Includes members of the armed forces (active and reserve components) and National Guard, as well as military veterans defined in federal law. This term is added to the list of protected characteristics throughout the law.
• The bill intends to keep existing protections for other groups (race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, etc.) intact while adding veterans status to those protections.

Main Provisions by Topic

• Employment (labor organizations, employers, employment agencies)

  • It is an unfair employment practice to discriminate in labor organization membership rights, hiring, apprenticeship, tenure, compensation, upgrading, facilities, or other terms of employment because of veteran status (along with the other existing protected classes).
  • Employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies cannot deny employment or harm a person’s employment prospects or status for being a veteran or military status, in addition to existing protected classes.
  • Rules about referrals for employment and recognizing legitimate qualifications remain, but veteran status becomes a protected factor in decisions.

• Housing and Real Property

  • It is an unfair discriminatory practice to refuse to sell, rent, lease, or otherwise withhold real property or to discriminate in terms, conditions, or privileges of real property transactions because of veteran status (as well as other protected characteristics).
  • Prohibits discriminatory advertising or records that express limitations or discrimination based on veteran status.
  • Exceptions exist for reasonable safety rules and for adult-only housing ads where allowed by law; the bill preserves standard protections against discriminatory practices in real estate.

• Public Accommodations

  • It is an unfair discriminatory practice to deny a person full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities, or accommodations because of veteran status (and the other protected classes).
  • Places of public accommodation must provide reasonable accommodations for known disabilities; factors for determining reasonableness include service frequency, business size, costs, potential impact on others, and consultation with disabled persons or groups.
  • Compliance with applicable state or local building codes is maintained and not treated as a violation of the act.

• Public Services

  • It is an unfair discriminatory practice to discriminate in access to public services because of veteran status (as well as the other protected classes).
  • Public services must provide physical and program access for disabled persons unless doing so would impose undue hardship, with factors to consider including purpose of the service, cost, available alternatives, and existing consultation with disabled communities.
  • Accessibility obligations have defined timelines for implementation (general access within six months; architectural changes within two years, referencing a historical deadline).

• Education

  • It is an unfair discriminatory practice to exclude, expel, or select students based on veteran status (alongside other protected characteristics).

• General Policy and Actions

  • The bill states the public policy is to secure freedom from discrimination and to protect all persons from unfounded discrimination charges.
  • It explicitly preserves the ability to implement positive action programs to combat discrimination.

• Interaction with Other Laws (Special Provision)

  • The bill adds a provision clarifying that nothing in this chapter supersedes, nullifies, or repeals preferential treatment of veterans that may be required by federal, state, or local law. In other words, veteran preferences required by other laws remain valid.

Changes to Specific Provisions (Selected Highlights)

• Adds veteran or military status to the protected characteristics in multiple sections of the Minnesota Human Rights Act (employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, education).
• Expands protections to cover membership and activities in labor organizations, referrals and hiring practices by employers and employment agencies, and discriminatory practices in real estate transactions.
• Establishes responsibilities for accessibility and reasonable accommodations in public services and public accommodations, with consideration factors for what is reasonable and a process for addressing disability access.

Practical Impact

• Veterans and service members would gain explicit protections from discrimination in jobs, housing, buying or renting property, access to services and public facilities, and educational opportunities.
• Employers, landlords, schools, and service providers would need to consider veteran status when applying non-discrimination rules and to provide accommodations or adjustments where feasible.
• The law would continue to allow veteran preferences where required by other laws, ensuring compatibility with existing federal and state requirements.

Relevant Considerations

• How enforcement will work in practice (which agency handles complaints, how claims are investigated, and what remedies are available) remains aligned with the current Minnesota Human Rights Act framework.
• The bill reinforces that positive action programs to reduce discrimination are permissible and supported.

Relevant Terms - veteran status - military status - veteran or military status - Minnesota Human Rights Act - protected classes - discrimination - unfair employment practice - labor organization - employment - housing - real property - public accommodations - public services - education - reasonable accommodation - undue hardship - preferential treatment (veterans) - positive action programs - United States Code reference (definitions of veteran status)