A slate of new Minnesota laws is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.
Here are some of the bigger changes.
‘Taylor Swift bill’
Ticket purchasers will get more transparency from sellers under a bill signed into law earlier this year. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, who was frustrated after she said she couldn’t get Taylor Swift tickets when online bots crashed Ticketmaster’s website.
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her “Eras Tour” at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31, 2023. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Under the “Ticketing Fairness Act,” ticket sellers have to notify buyers upfront about additional charges. Buyers also will be entitled to proof of purchase and refund policy details within 24 hours. Deceptive and speculative ticket pricing are banned and online ticket marketplaces are required to disclose if they are ticket resellers.
If resellers use bots to buy tickets, Minnesota’s Department of Commerce is allowed to demand information on how they obtained tickets. The information can be shared with the state Attorney General’s office for possible prosecution.
‘Junk fee’ ban
Businesses will no longer be able to advertise or list prices that do not include all mandatory fees or surcharges. Proponents have called it a ban on “junk fees.”
What that means is a business can not list a price for a good or service and include additional fees at the time of payment. Say goodbye to “health and wellness” fees at restaurants.
Taxes are excluded from the requirement. And if the fee is “reasonably avoidable,” such as late fees or credit card surcharges, it is not part of the disclosure requirement, according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
Other exemptions include certain fees charged by a dealer related to the purchase of a motor vehicle. Businesses or their affiliates regulated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission also are exempt. That includes power, gas and landline phone services.
There are exemptions for real estate transactions as well, and airports in the Twin Cities won’t have to make any changes until June.
Binary trigger ban
Triggers that allow semi-automatic firearms to fire when pulled and again when released will no longer be legal in Minnesota in 2025. The ban on what are known as binary triggers was passed as part of a 2024 public safety bill which also stiffened penalties for straw purchasers of guns.
The .300 caliber Franklin Armory FAI-15 semiautomatic firearm equipped with a binary trigger Shannon Gooden used in the shooting of two police officers and a firefighter/paramedic in Burnsville. (Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office)
The push to ban binary triggers, which greatly increase a weapon’s rate of fire, came after one was used in the fatal shooting of two police officers and a firefighter in Burnsville in February 2023.
Forever chemicals ban
Minnesota is restricting “forever chemicals” in an expanded list of consumer goods as the state moves toward a broader ban by 2032.
At the beginning of 2025, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, collectively known as PFAS, will be banned from products including carpets or rugs, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, fabric treatments, juvenile products, menstruation products, textile furnishings, ski wax and upholstered furniture.
Vials containing PFAS samples sit in a tray, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
PFAS are a family of thousands of chemicals that have come under increased scrutiny in recent decades as studies have tied them to negative health effects in humans, including a heightened risk of cancer and hormonal interference.
Salary ranges in job postings
Job listings will need to include starting salary ranges or fixed pay rates and a general description of all benefits or compensation. The requirement applies to any person or organization who employs 30 or more people. Salary ranges can not be open-ended.
Abortion insurance coverage
Health insurance plans will have to cover abortions and related services in Minnesota like they do any other procedure. Eligible organizations are permitted to “not cover some or all benefits for abortions and abortion-related services due to religious objections.”
Transgender medicine
Health plans that cover physical or mental health services have to cover “medically necessary gender-affirming care” which is consistent with prevailing medical practices. Religious organizations are exempt.
Wigs covered by insurance
Health insurance providers will be required to cover wigs for people who lose their hair while undergoing treatment for cancer or other conditions. The bill was a result of efforts by former Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis, who stepped down from her leadership role earlier this year amid a battle with cancer.
Automatic expungement
Minnesota will begin automatically removing some nonviolent criminal offenses from records. Individuals will no longer have to file a petition for expungement.
Under the “Clean Slate Act” people with convictions will have to meet the standard requirements for expungement, such as completing a diversion program or probation or if the person is deemed incompetent.
Petty misdemeanors other than traffic and parking offenses, and misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors are eligible. Driving while intoxicated convictions are not eligible.
Election changes
Starting in 2025, a candidate must present a driver’s license, state identification or other proof of residence when filing to run with the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Colleges that provide on-campus housing for at least 100 students will be required to designate a “reasonably accessible” extra polling place for students within half a mile of campus if requested by the institution or student government organization. The Secretary of State will cover the cost.
Tenant rights
As of the new year, renters are permitted by state law to form cooperatives aimed at improving “housing conditions, amenities, or community life” and prevent landlords from retaliating against tenants who raise issues.
Department of Direct Care and Treatment
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is being split into three new agencies, the newest of which will come into being in 2025: the Department of Direct Care and Treatment. The agency is focused on mental health services, substance abuse treatment and other disability programs.
DHS will still exist but is being split into the direct care department and the Department of Children Youth and Families.
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