Published December 9, 2024 3:10pm CST
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- Several laws passed last session are due to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, that will affect many Minnesotans.
- Minnesota Democrats have held a trifecta of power the last two legislative sessions – controlling the House of Representatives, Senate and Governor positions.
- New laws include increased transparency for ticket buying, employers being required to post salary ranges with job listings and tackling “junk fees.”
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – In 2023, a wide-range of new proposals ultimately gained approval by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and were signed into law – including limitations on no-knock search warrants, free school meals for students, and increased education funding.
During the second legislative session of Democrats holding a trifecta of power — controlling the House of Representatives, Senate, and Governor — several more laws were passed that are due to take effect at the beginning of the new year.
‘Taylor Swift’ bill concert ticket protections
Inspired in part by a summer of 2023 fiasco attempting to buy tickets to see Taylor Swift at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2023, the Ticketing Fairness Act ushers in a new era for concertgoers that will help people concertgoers better understand what they’re paying for ahead of time.
Under the new act, restrictions are put in place on how online sellers, ticket buyers and resellers operate.
The law requires “all-in pricing” that shows the entire cost of a ticket upfront, while banning deceptive advertising and speculative pricing.
A “bot” or other technology used to buy more tickets than allowed could now be compelled by the Department of Commerce to disclose how it was able to accomplish the purchase, with the information relayed to the attorney general’s office for potential prosecution.
Ticket purchasers will now also receive proof of purchase and refund policy details within 24 hours.
Junk fees
Aimed at making fees of another kind more noticeable to customers, a person or business will be prohibited from advertising or offering a price for goods or services that doesn’t include all mandatory fees and surcharges when 2025 hits.
The law includes any fee or surcharge, “a reasonable person would expect to be included in the purchase of the goods or services being advertised.”
When a customer selects items for purchase online, the seller’s platform is required to show “in a clear and conspicuous manner” that an additional flat fee or percentage will be charged, under the law change.
Services with a total cost that is determined by customer selection – or factors that include distance or time – are also required to show all fees associated with the transaction, and a statement explaining any cost variations.
Exemptions to the law include fees authorized by law related to the purchase of a vehicle that are charged by dealer, and costs associated with real estate settlement services, except for real estate broker commissions and fees.
Government-imposed taxes, such as sales taxes, aren’t subject to the required disclosures.
Job listings
If a new career is one of your New Year’s resolutions, then a new law will make job hunting a little more manageable to find something that suits you.
Employers are now required to disclose a starting salary range (or fixed pay rate), and a general description of all benefits and other compensation, which can include health or retirement benefits in each job posting.
Campus voting
If requested by a university or the student government organization, additional polling places will be added for state general election, or off-year city general elections, at least one day.
The new law applies to a college campus or post-secondary institution that provides on-campus housing for at least 100 students, and the location must be within a half mile.
The Secretary of State’s Office will reimburse local election officials for costs to operate the location at the rate of $5,000 for one polling place in the first year, and $3,000 for each additional.Binary triggers, lightbulb bans
Guns with “binary triggers” are added to the list of guns prohibited by state law beginning in 2025.
A binary trigger allows a firearm to shoot one shot on the pull of the trigger and a second shot on the trigger release.
A shooter in Burnsville who killed three first responders in February 2024 used binary triggers
“It eliminates a tool that makes it easier to kill people,” said Sen. Heather Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights), who authored the bill in the Minnesota Senate. “10 other states ban binary triggers, including Florida and Idaho… This does not infringe on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.”
Another ban will include lightbulbs containing mercury, except bulbs used for photocopying, holography or sterilization, and will be overseen by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Renter protections
In an effort to improve collective housing conditions, tenants will now be able to legally form associations and prohibit landlords from retaliating against them if they report a code violation, contact the media or testify in court regarding the condition of their homes.
A landlord must not limit the organization’s “peaceful assembly, canvassing, leafleting, or free expression,” or enforce rules that would otherwise limit the time and place of meetings between building tenants.
Forms of retaliation include “increasing rent, decreasing services, altering existing agreements, filing legal action or contacting law enforcement about a tenant’s immigration status.”
Landlords who violate the provision could be ordered to pay the tenant $1,000 per occurrence, plus attorney fees.
The Minnesota Attorney General will have the authority to investigate and prosecute violations.