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SF4333 (Legislative Session 94 (2025-2026))

Rest break and meal break requirements under certain circumstances adjustment

Related bill: HF4110

AI Generated Summary

Purpose

To adjust when employees can be exempt from required rest breaks and meal breaks under specific circumstances, while still ensuring basic restroom and meal time is available.

Main Provisions

  • Adds exemptions to rest break requirements in Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.253 (new Subd.4 Exemptions).

    • Exemption scenarios (a): 1) The employee is the only employee working at that time and location and is providing a service that protects or sustains life. 2) The employee is the only employee working at that time and location and is working with a vulnerable adult (as defined in section 626.5572 subdivision 21). 3) The employee is working during an emergency response.
    • If an employee qualifies for an exemption, they must still be allowed time to use the restroom while working (Sec. 1, paragraph b).

  • Adds exemptions to meal break requirements in Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.254 (new Subd.5 Exemptions).

    • Exemption scenarios (a): 1) The employee is the only employee working at that time and location and is providing a service that protects or sustains life. 2) The employee is the only employee working at that time and location and is working with a vulnerable adult (as defined in section 626.5572 subdivision 21). 3) The employee is working during an emergency response.
    • If an employee qualifies for an exemption, they must still be allowed time to eat a meal while working (Sec. 2, paragraph b).

What Changes With This Bill

  • Creates explicit exemptions from rest break and meal break requirements in narrow, specific work situations.
  • Keeps two non-negotiable basics in place: even when exempt, the employee must still have time to use the restroom and to eat a meal while working.

Impact and Considerations

  • For workers who are alone at a worksite and performing life-sustaining tasks, caring for a vulnerable adult, or during emergencies, rest and meal breaks can be exempted.
  • Employers must still provide restroom access and meal time when exemptions apply.
  • The changes reference specific legal definitions, including “vulnerable adult” (626.5572 subdivision 21), and rely on existing statutes (177.253, 177.254) for the framework of breaks.

Practical Context

  • The bill appears to modify break requirements only under limited, time-and-location specific conditions, not as a broad change to all workers’ rest or meal breaks.

Relevant Terms rest break meal break exemption exemptions only employee working at that time and location providing a service that protects or sustains life vulnerable adult defined in section 626.5572 subdivision 21 emergency response time to use the restroom while working time to eat a meal while working Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.253 Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.254 Subd.4 Subd.5

Bill text versions

Actions

DateChamberWhereTypeNameCommittee Name
March 11, 2026SenateActionIntroduction and first reading
March 11, 2026SenateActionReferred toLabor

Citations

 
[
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Subd.4 Exemptions enumerating three scenarios: (1) the employee is the only employee at the time and location and is providing a service that protects or sustains life; (2) the employee is the only employee at the time and location and is working with a vulnerable adult as defined in section 626.5572 Subd.21; (3) during an emergency response."
      ],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.253 by adding Subd.4 Exemptions, creating specific scenarios where rest break and meal break requirements do not apply.",
      "modified": []
    },
    "citation": "177.253",
    "subdivision": "Subd.4"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [
        "Subd.5 Exemptions reflecting the same scenarios as Subd.4 and including a provision that time to eat a meal while working is allowed."
      ],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 177.254 by adding Subd.5 Exemptions, establishing exemptions for rest and meal breaks under specified circumstances and noting time to eat a meal while working.",
      "modified": []
    },
    "citation": "177.254",
    "subdivision": "Subd.5"
  },
  {
    "analysis": {
      "added": [],
      "removed": [],
      "summary": "The bill references Minnesota Statutes 626.5572 Subd.21 to define a 'vulnerable adult' for the exemptions; no changes to 626.5572 are proposed.",
      "modified": []
    },
    "citation": "626.5572",
    "subdivision": "Subd.21"
  }
]

Progress through the legislative process

17%
In Committee

Sponsors

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