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House lays House File 11 on table after author urges one-year pause to paid-leave launch
Summary
On the House floor Representative Baker urged delaying the start of Minnesota's paid family and medical leave program by one year, citing higher-than-expected cost estimates and incomplete rulemaking; Representative Nisga moved to lay House File 11 on the table and the motion prevailed by voice vote.
Representative Baker, the author of House File 11, urged the Minnesota House to pause the scheduled launch of the state's paid family and medical leave program, saying lawmakers should delay implementation by one year to address cost and administrative concerns. Representative Nisga then moved to lay House File 11 on the table; a voice vote carried and the motion prevailed, ending immediate floor consideration.
Baker said the program "was already projected to cost over a billion dollars a year in taxes," and added that "with the recent estimates now show that price tag is closer to $1,500,000,000 a year." He told colleagues that the cost would reduce workers' take-home pay and increase burdens on small employers, saying, "If you're earning a medium income, this is gonna cost you about $500 a year for the program." Baker described incomplete rulemaking and administrative preparation as key reasons to delay, noting that required employer materials and clarifying rules were not yet in place.
Baker also raised practical concerns about how the state program would interact with federal leave protections, saying it is unclear whether workers could stack state paid leave with federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave in sequence. He said the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) had indicated posters for employers would come in December 2025 and that some rulemaking remained to be finished, and he warned that school districts and other employers already facing staffing shortages could be further strained.
After Baker's remarks Representative Nisga moved that "House File 11 be laid on the table." The presiding officer called for voices; those in favor said "aye," those opposed said "nay," and the presiding officer announced, "So motion prevails." The clerk had earlier reported House File 11 as "An act relating to employment, delaying implementation of Minnesota paid leave law by 1 year." The motion was nondebatable and no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
The bill's immediate status after the voice vote is that consideration on the House floor was paused by the tabled motion; the transcript does not specify next steps, any further floor scheduling, or committee referrals.
