Business Members Turn Out To Get Answers About New Paid Leave Program

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- St. Cloud businesses took advantage of a special seminar to prepare for changes in 2026. Minnesota's new Paid Leave Program will offer job protections and partial wage replacement to employees who need time off to care for a family member.

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DEED's Paid Leave Director Greg Norfleet was in town as part of a series of sessions across the state to help get businesses ready for the change. Norfleet says these sessions are invaluable:

"We're building this program with Minnesotans not just for Minnesotans so being able to get their perspective in to understand their needs is really what's going to make this program a success."

Norfleet says they understand the program is a big change, especially for small employers and everyone's feedback is needed to make the program an asset for all.

Norfleet spoke for about 30 minutes giving an overview of the program scheduled to go live in 2026. Afterward, he took questions for over 45 minutes from the more than 100 people in attendance. K Johnson Construction's Human Resource Manager Tina Stay says the session was helpful but more information is needed:

"Well we definitely got some answers, which was great, but we have a lot of unanswered questions that we need in order to prepare for this."

Most of the questions centered around insurance and small businesses. St. Cloud was the first stop on a 15-city tour for the paid leave program.

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