Minimum wage increase across the board 

Salary ranges in job postings

Employers that employ 30 or more people must list the salary range or fixed pay rate in all job listings beginning January 1, 2025. Additionally, a general description of benefits and other compensation information must be included. 

The Ticketing Fairness Act

In a move to limit bulk ticket buyers or resellers from using bots or other technology to buy multiple tickets at once, raising prices and reducing available inventory, the law requires the reseller to disclose how it was able to do so. These buyers/resellers would also be prohibited from circumventing security processes or disguising their identity in order to "get around" maximum ticket limits set by the original seller. According to the law, "If a reseller used a bot or other technology to buy more tickets than allowed, the Department of Commerce would have the power to demand the reseller disclose how it was able to accomplish the deception. The department could then share that information with the state attorney general’s office for possible prosecution."

"Junk Fees"

Buying something and learning of additional surcharges, hidden charges, and mandatory service fees at the end of the transaction will be a thing of the past heading into 2025. Beginning January 1, the Price Transparency Law will require restaurants, hotels, cable/phone companies, airlines, and other businesses to initially advertise or display the full price of consumer goods and services. The full price must be present at the beginning of a transaction. If the final price depends on a variety of variables (examples include distance, time, or mandatory tips), the entity must "disclose in a clear and conspicuous manner (1) the factors that determine the total price, (2) any mandatory fees associated with the transaction, and (3) that the total cost of the services may vary.”

The White House estimates that Americans spend $65 billion yearly on junk fees. 

For more information, including exemptions, visit the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General here.

Renters

Renters will have a handful of additional protections moving into 2025. 

Starting on January 1, renters who share residential utility costs (through a landlord or third-party rebilling company) will be eligible for protection under the Minnesota Cold Weather Rule, which can prevent utility services from being shut off between October 1 and April 30. The law also states that the landlord must be the named customer for billing and can only charge the tenant for the electricity used in the tenant's unit. Additionally, by September 30 of each year, a landlord of a shared-metered residential building who bills for any utility separate from rent "must inform tenants in writing of the possible availability of energy assistance from the low-income home energy assistance program."

Finally, the law provides options for tenants when the submetering system is inaccurate, prevents charges to the tenant if the device has to be replaced, or from billing due to a defective meter. 

2025 also brings tenants options to organize to "improve housing conditions, amenities, or community life." The law states that landlords will not be able to retaliate against a tenant organization for the following:

• reporting a code violation to a government entity
• seeking assistance from a community organizer
• contacting the media
• testify in any court or an administrative proceeding concerning the condition of the premises

PFAS

Recent studies have found PFAS, or "forever chemicals," to be prevalent in our everyday lives. Even a tiny amount over a long period of time can cause harmful effects on human and environmental health.

Starting January 1, 2025, Amara's Law, named after Amara Strande, a Minnesotan who lived in the east metro and died of cancer at the age of 20, will require new products in 11 different categories and certain packaging to be sold or distributed without PFAS. The 11 categories are: 

• carpets or rugs, including outdoor carpets and car floor mats
• cleaning products, including detergents and stain removers
• cookware
• cosmetics
• dental floss
• fabric treatments
• juvenile products, including car seats, children’s clothing, and toys for children under 12
• menstruation products, including tampons and disposable and reusable pads
• ski wax
• textile furnishings, including draperies, bedding, and towels
• upholstered furniture

According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), "Amara’s Law makes no exceptions for products in these categories, nor does it provide extensions to the timeline if no PFAS alternatives are available."

Some PFAS bans are already in place for items such as firefighting foam and food packaging. 

Other health laws

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the following laws related to health will take effect: 

• Any health care plans must cover abortions or abortion-related services (including pre and post-services). 
• Health insurance must cover wigs (and related equipment) for those with cancer, alopecia areata, or other health conditions
• Any health insurance plan that provides coverage for physical and mental health services must also cover medically necessary gender-affirming care. 
• Health plans must cover biomarker testing required to diagnose, treat, manage, and monitor illness or disease.
• Patient co-pays for a one-month supply of prescription drugs for chronic diseases, asthma, and allergies requiring the use of epinephrine auto-injectors cannot be greater than $25. 
• A $50 per month limit is in place for related medical supplies "such as syringes, insulin pens and pumps, test strips, glucometers, continuous glucose monitors, epinephrine auto-injectors, and asthma inhalers."

Department of Direct Care and Treatment and Office of Emergency Medical Services

Two newly created government entities will begin operating on January 1, 2025. 

The Department of Direct Care and Treatment (DDCT) was created to separate direct care and treatment from the Minnesota Department of Health and has a goal to "provide direct care and treatment services in coordination with counties and other vendors."

The Office of Emergency Medical Services was created to replace the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board, and will have a director appointment by Governor Walz in the near future. The director will be able to do the following:

• license and regulate ambulance services in the state
• establish and modify primary service areas
• register and regulate medical response units
• certify emergency medical technicians and paramedics
• approve their education programs
• investigate complaints about and impose disciplinary action on ambulance services and their personnel and emergency medical responders

The law also states that medical services, ambulance services, and emergency medical service providers will have their own divisions, headed by a deputy director. 

Gun laws

Starting January 1, 2025, binary triggers on guns are prohibited. According to the law, "a binary trigger allows a firearm to shoot one shot on the pull of the trigger and a second shot on the trigger release without requiring a subsequent pull of the trigger."


To read more about some of the new laws taking effect on January 1, 2025, visit the MN House of Representatives here. To view all the laws, click here.