MN HF7

Provides emergency paid sick leave to health care providers and emergency responders whose employers elected to exclude them from federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act protections.

Eligible employees receive up to 100 hours of paid leave (full-time workers), hours equal to average two-week work schedule (part-time workers), or 14 times average daily hours for variable-hour workers for COVID-19 related reasons including quarantine orders, self-quarantine advice, symptom seeking, caring for affected individuals, or childcare closures.

Compensation is the greater of the employee's regular rate of pay, state minimum wage, or local minimum wage, capped at $6,388 in aggregate, with leave available starting the day after enactment and expiring 30 days after the governor's COVID-19 peacetime emergency declaration ends.

Employers may not discharge, discipline, discriminate, or retaliate against employees for requesting leave, and employees may bring civil actions for violations with recovery of damages, costs, attorney fees, and injunctive or equitable relief.

Leave is in addition to other paid or unpaid leave except when employers have already provided equal or greater additional paid leave for the same reasons, and the provision sunsets 30 days after the COVID-19 emergency declaration is terminated or rescinded.