Repeal Seatbelt Gag Rule

Statistics clearly demonstrate that seatbelts promote safety and save lives. This data led Minnesota to establish failure to wear a seatbelt as a primary traffic offense. However, in civil litigation use or non-use of seat belts cannot be admitted as evidence according to a statute enacted over 50 years ago. Since then, Minnesota replaced contributory negligence with comparative fault, which allows a plaintiff’s recovery to be reduced proportionally to their fault, rather than barring them from recovery altogether. We believe letting juries see all the relevant evidence will encourage greater seatbelt use and personal responsibility.

 

Action: Repeal seatbelt gag rule in Minnesota Statutes 169.685 Subd. 4

 

Create Organized Cargo Theft Task Force

It is estimated that cargo theft accounts for up to $35 billion in losses annually nationally. Organized Theft Groups (OTGs) are actively exploiting the highly mobile and intermodal nature of the supply chain to illegally obtain goods that are later sold for economic gain. OTGs target cargo at every point in the supply chain where goods are in transit and utilize a variety of sophisticated tactics to illegally obtain cargo, including strategic theft, straight theft, fictitious pick-ups, cyber-attacks, identity theft, hijacking, pilferage, and warehouse burglaries, among many others. Law enforcement and prosecutors lack the necessary resources to effectively address these crimes.

 

Action: The legislature should create a joint Organized Theft Task Force to develop these resources.

 

 

Align Earned Safe and Sick With Fair Labor Standards Act Requirements for Truck Drivers

Minnesota Statutes 177.23, Subd. 7 (16) excludes from the definition of an employee for purposes of the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act "any individual in a position for which the United States Department of Transportation has power to establish qualifications and maximum hours of service under United States Code, title 49, section 31502."  This definition necessarily excludes most truck drivers. Additionally, trucking companies often pay their drivers based upon miles driven or based upon a percentage of the revenue for the load.  How much compensation the driver earns often fluctuates from week to week based upon their destinations and/or the load they are carrying.  The requirement to track and report hours under the Minnesota Earned Safe and Sick Time Statute runs counter to the exemption noted above.  

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Action: Exempt individuals covered under MS 117.24, Subd. 7 (16) from the hourly reporting requirements under the Minnesota Earned Safe and Sick Statute.

 

Support Supply Chain Resiliency Bill (HFXXX/SFXXX)

Minnesota’s supply chain is dependent on trucking, as noted in the legislatively mandated Commercial Driver Working Group Report presented to the Legislature on February 15, 2025. This bill addresses two recommendations included in the report: truck driver and technician training and CDL testing.

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• Increase Funding for Truck Driver and Technician Training: This provision establishes a grant program to cover the costs of driver and technician tuition AND living expenses while being trained and increase state appropriation for equipment investments for driver and technician programs.
   

• Improve CDL Testing Efficiency: Commercial Driver’s License skills testing capacity by state driver examination stations and third-party testers is severely constrained. Some students completing federally mandated driver training programs are waiting over two months to secure a testing slot. This provision allows training schools to reserve CDL testing slots and allows current third-party examiners to test students outside of their program.