League of MN Cities 2017 Law Change Summaries

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2017 Law Summaries Page 7 program. Article 3, section 17 requires that this funding be used to replace aging election equipment or to purchase electronic poll books. A political subdivision is eligible to receive a grant of no more than 75 percent of the total cost of electronic roster equipment and 50 percent of all other equipment or technology authorized for a grant. Section 17 creates new language, Minn. Stat. § 206.95, outlining the application process to receive a grant. The secretary of state may make a grant from the account to a political sub- division only after receiving an application that includes: the date the application is submitted, the name of the political subdivision, the name and title of the individual who prepared the application, the type of voting system currently used in each precinct, the date the system was acquired and at what cost, the total number of registered voters in each precinct, the amount of the grant requested, the amount of money the political subdivision will use to match a grant from the account, the type of voting system to be acquired and if it will permit individuals with dis- abilities to cast a secret ballot, the proposed schedule for purchasing and implementing the new system, whether a grant has been applied for before, a certified statement by the political subdivision that the grant will be used only to purchase election equipment authorized in statute, and any other information required by the secretary of state. Fund- ing will be available to the Office of the Secretary of State July 1, 2017. The appropriation is available until June 30, 2020. (AL) EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES Community medical response emergency medical technician services Chapter 53 (HF 106*/SF 93) amends Minn. Stat. § 256B.0625, subd. 60a. It expands the community medical response emergency medical technician (CEMT) covered services under Medical Assistance (MA) to include post- discharge visits following discharge from a skilled nursing facility. Under current law, only hospital post-discharge vis- its are covered. It changes terminology to refer to a CEMT as a “community medical response emergency medical technician.” It also makes conforming changes. Effective Aug. 1, 2017. (AF)  EMPLOYMENT Unemployment insurance advisory council policy adoption Chapter 35 (HF 1419/SF 1549*) is the unemployment insurance bill. • Aggravated employment misconduct. For those who have been suspended from employment without pay for 30 or fewer calendar days, Article 1, section 3 amends Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 13 to allow, in addi- tion to employment misconduct, aggravated employ- ment conduct defined under Minn. Stat. § 268.095 as grounds for ineligibility of unemployment benefits. • Indefinite suspension from employment. Article 1, sections 3 and 4 respectively amend Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 13 and Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 5 to allow indefinite suspension to be considered discharge from the time the suspension starts. • Definition of “leave of absence.” Article 2, section 6 amends Minn. Stat. § 268.085, subd. 13a to define a “leave of absence” as a temporary stopping of work that has been approved by the employer. • Definition of “quit.” Article 3, section 14 amends Minn. Stat. § 268.095, subd. 2 to clarify that a notice of quitting in the future does not constitute a quit at the time the notice is given. Effective Aug. 1, 2017. (IK) High school workers age 18 and older Chapter 68 (HF 1204/SF 1457*) is the Department of Labor and Industry housekeeping bill. Section 1 amends Minn. Stat. § 181A.04, subd. 6 by requiring high school students age 18 and older to provide a written request to their employer to work during restricted hours (after 11 p.m. on an evening before a school day or before 5 a.m. on a school day). Effective Aug. 1, 2017. (IK) Public Employment Relations Board Chapter 94 (HF 1620/SF 1456*) is the omnibus jobs and economic development policy and budget bill. Article 1, section 5 appropriates $125,000 for FY 2018 and 2019 to the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). Article 12, section 1 delays the start date of PERB to July 1, 2020. Effective July 1, 2017. (IK) ENERGY Flexibility for Xcel’s natural gas electric generating plant at Sherco site Chapter 5 (HF 113*/SF 85) exempts Xcel Energy from the certificate of need process normally required for a new large electric energy production facility by an investor- owned utility, as long as the facility is on property already owned by the utility in Sherburne County and is a natu- ral gas combined cycle electric generation plant. This was done to preserve local jobs and base electrical capacity for the utility as the Sherco 1 and 2 coal-fired plants are to be phased out by 2023 and 2026, respectively. Effective Aug. 1, 2017. (CJ) Residential property assessed clean energy financing option indefinitely suspended Chapter 94 (HF 1620/SF 1456*) is the omnibus jobs and