[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6361692,"mediaKeyId","2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff","parentId",2170356,"title","Senate panel advances bill to standardize residential permit fees, sends it to housing committee","audioSeconds",1521,"startMs",544000,"endMs",2065000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff&start=544&end=2065","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff/thumbnail_544000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361692/Minnesota/Senate-panel-advances-bill-to-standardize-residential-permit-fees-sends-it-to-housing-committee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361692-766d2617f7791b133e38419b244832b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151813&Signature=VvgwgqsWNJdiC-FcMZrFzP9KDj8cMyrPloRbtzQymcJfuo~pnrQ9gWi5bggi2zzf9CqosvTPXi1ACJ6-d7quxiFcMHOAbCYlOGA11Ns1LVhJsXzfLF995evPWGkP-N3v1qFRZzhbbgTOD~5gkRFwAI3zVYdYrUCFunui2JGGkRNiWzDTn8FPKhNd16dRvfi2~Q0rOG4egGTuvNb2YDQgmvaf3N8Cap0xiRPSk5O2FiGCpVHjyulOhH85yuEWZWp~19W4KLa95jI3DQW58swrExgpme33RnBMO0J6TPpSALkH3b4gJYp9R4V7yRKR1uK~BBQwOCLz6SDe8xSkC32iWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Senate Media Services","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","Senate File 560, a bill to change how local building permit fees are calculated for one- and two-family homes, was advanced by the Minnesota Senate Labor Committee on Jan. 30 and referred without recommendation to the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee.

The measure would direct the Department of Labor and Industry to establish a cost-per-square-foot valuation for residential building permit fee purposes. Committee members and stakeholders framed the proposal as one step toward addressing overall housing affordability by reducing inconsistent permit fees that can add thousands of dollars to new-home costs.

Housing industry witnesses told the committee the current valuation system produces large, sometimes unexplained differences in permit fees between jurisdictions. \"We have a statewide median new home price of about $540,000,\" said Nick Erickson, senior director of housing policy for Housing First Minnesota. Erickson said he reviewed roughly 1,800 permits and found valuation changes in 72.65% of cases after submission, with an average valuation change of about $55,000. He gave an example of two permits for roughly the same $425,000 house — one locality charging about $7,000 in permit fees and another charging $45,100, a $25,100 difference. Erickson argued a square-foot approach would reduce unpredictability and limit what he termed arbitrary increases that ultimately raise costs for homebuyers.

Representatives of cities and building officials urged caution. Daniel Lightfoot, senior intergovernmental relations representative for the League of Minnesota Cities, said moving to a trip- or mileage-based fee (the bill's a2 amendment discussed in committee) could raise costs for some projects and would disproportionately affect builders and homeowners in Greater Minnesota. Lightfoot noted that Minnesota law and existing Department of Labor and Industry guidance require permit fees to be \"fair, reasonable and proportionate\" and that municipalities can be appealed to the department if a fee is contested. \"Moving to a trip charge basis will not only make permit fees less certain for builders and remodelers... but it may also end up increasing permit fees for certain projects,\" Lightfoot said.

Brian Hoffman, a longtime building official and board member of the Association of Minnesota Building Officials, criticized the a2 amendment language and defended the existing valuation model as the primary national method of apportioning fee-for-service costs across many types of work. Hoffman said many cities use flat-rate permits for simple items such as furnaces and water heaters but that a consistent valuation standard could improve transparency. He said an internal chargeback/accounting approach would be cumbersome and likely raise costs.

Committee discussion repeatedly emphasized competing goals: reduce arbitrary or widely varying fees that can add to housing costs while preserving sufficient fee revenue so local building departments can fund plan review, inspections and related overhead. Committee members raised practical questions about how square-foot formulas would account for differences in project complexity (for example, two homes with identical square footage but different numbers of bathrooms or mechanical systems) and how to treat remodels and small renovations.

The committee discussed but did not adopt the a2 amendment, which would have set plan-review fees by an hourly rate (capped), made inspection and reinspection a flat cost-per-trip and required municipalities to publish permit and inspection fees. Committee staff and witnesses said that amendment was included in the meeting packet for discussion but was not being moved in committee that day.

Senator Doernik moved the committee's recommendation: to pass Senate File 560 and re-refer it without recommendation to the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee. The motion was approved by voice vote.

The bill will next be considered in the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee, where committee chairs signaled they want to engage further with cities, building officials and housing stakeholders on detailed drafting and potential carve-outs or formula refinements.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Labor - 01/30/25","oneSentenceSummary","Senate File 560, a bill to change how local building permit fees are calculated for one- and two-family homes, was advanced by the Minnesota Senate Labor Committee on Jan. 30 and referred without recommendation to the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361679,"Senator Gruenhagen relays constituent complaints about sick-leave rules and rising unemployment taxes",118,2532000,2650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff&start=2532&end=2650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff/thumbnail_2532000.jpg","/articles/6361679/Minnesota/Senator-Gruenhagen-relays-constituent-complaints-about-sick-leave-rules-and-rising-unemployment-taxes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361679-21ba57270fd871c1b9a2300cc373c292/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151813&Signature=kFQ4NP-aIy0VOiWym2Q2~BMMznIkgxobQ11VV3Yn0ApSI8dVUwrcJeaKWdC9rRpIwHBrz-XN3cp76Njm9HbMHsx715E5UFQAxWs5r-BxHqn~e3TR1LyfU89-bEz227DhPg9Q1kCGFy60fKVewqHy-C1nu1GO3zDrJW5dVzYtepGVUIgAgovyPKvmPv240WcVv6cpryjwHIZ2wbA-RuYyPKyo2an4LT4D44ImJLNBccf90Th1oILgfx~~FSAqknqGRyt28j8ZYCcsTGBRtH6I~yya65MvQs1P8Q8ndV19Ou6TOSpz7u0T6nVTBTxFZGn~hAHhfpLdRv6KN7~hldG~ow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the end of the Jan. 30 session, Senator Gruenhagen offered comments summarizing written concerns from a constituent who is a bookkeeper at a Sleepy Eye business. Gruenhagen said the employee planned to leave and the employer reported difficulty administering earned sick-and-safe-time (ESST) for seasonal interns and part-time workers.

Gruenhagen told the committee that unemployment insurance rates had risen for the business. \"The unemployment tax used to be point 10 for a very long time. This year, it started at point 40... Now it went up to point 53. For this small midsize business, this is going to add $15,000 a year in additional cost to the company,\" he said, attributing the figures to his constituent. Gruenhagen said the business is experiencing a sales slump and the owner had considered moving operations out of Minnesota; he described a separate family business that relocated to South Dakota and estimated the family expected to save $12 million over 10-12 years after moving.

Sen. Gruenhagen characterized the remarks as \"food for thought\" for colleagues, noting the comments were constituent reports rather than committee findings. No committee action was taken on these matters during the hearing.","At the Jan. 30 meeting\u0000Senator Gruenhagen described constituent concerns from a Sleepy Eye small business about earned sick-and-safe-time administration and a recent rise in unemployment tax rates; he warned some businesses are relocating out of state to reduce costs.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361682,"Labor committee reviews DLI budget, MnOSHA federal funding and workforce-development programs",326,2090000,2416000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff&start=2090&end=2416","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff/thumbnail_2090000.jpg","/articles/6361682/Minnesota/Labor-committee-reviews-DLI-budget-MnOSHA-federal-funding-and-workforce-development-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361682-6aa8506cafda45ea41f079774c302edf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151813&Signature=fMMCQls-S6stT~Xpmy0DPtkJftr0~-OFnntGzbJRIrTEdXZbBs-Jp2vp6mreTm7qZBYP98EFysC1OeH0HHQJckgM~T49wvQtArJUHiHyVO203S96Nhc47MWHZ2lWzUvoMuYfADNQLibSvVGMUbOddUKMwjfXCMIBcI9yXG4SrIeMmaTBXTLnUzJtyruDihLXFDhJCDyKizJztqh98geeXDZeIK6auLRCIbgVWFg9Y-ItpPEYNxw5dp-1YjJH8HAcAg7DWUJHcZHuwvHumGyfgwSPYvvelaq7-fEtiY1yEJzNcI-f9VxoCscs4mtWYgC8w32P-QtUuFZbFimAYaJxOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Jan. 30 the Senate Labor Committee received an overview of the Department of Labor and Industry's current budget base and related agencies from Megan Bursch, fiscal analyst with Senate Research and Fiscal Analysis.

Bursch told members the Labor Committee's jurisdiction includes DLI, the Bureau of Mediation Services, the Public Employment Relations Board and the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals. She said DLI has the largest budget in the committee's jurisdiction with total all-funds expenditures of $266,884,000 in the current 2024-25 biennium and a base of $260,799,000 in the 2026-27 biennium. She said DLI's direct appropriations totaled $99,021,000 in 2024-25 and a base of $93,663,000 in 2026-27; a portion of those direct appropriations come from the general fund (Bursch cited $17,691,000 in 2024-25 and $14,443,000 in 2026-27). Bursch also described DLI's statutory and open appropriations (for example, the Construction Code Fund), which she said show higher totals in the planning biennium on the spreadsheet provided to members.

Bursch said Bureau of Mediation Services general fund expenditures were $5,955,000 in 2024-25 with a 2026-27 base of $6,048,000, and she noted the Public Employment Relations Board and Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals budgets are tracked in committee materials.

Committee members asked follow-up questions. Senator Pappas asked whether items in the governor's change list would be presented later; Bursch said departments will present recommended change items at a later date. Josiah Moore, legislative director at DLI, told the committee the largest chunk of DLI's federal funds go to Minnesota OSHA (MnOSHA), which operates under a state plan and receives federal matching funds: \"The biggest chunk of our federal funding is, to MnOsha,\" Moore said.

When Senator Pratt asked about the workforce development fund, DLI staff (Mr. Roark) described programs funded from that source: youth skills training, the dual-training pipeline program, registered apprenticeship supports, the Labor Education and Advancement Program (LEAP) grants that support recruitment and retention of registered apprentices from historically underrepresented groups, and the DLI prevailing-wage unit.

Bursch directed members to budget-tracking spreadsheets on the Senate Fiscal Analysis website and said the governor's budget recommendations were available in the posted materials. Members did not take committee-level fiscal action in the hearing; analysts and agency staff will return for further briefings and department presentations on change items.","Senate fiscal analyst Megan Bursch presented the November 2024 forecast summary to the Labor Committee on Jan. 30, reviewing Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) expenditures and funding sources; witnesses explained federal funds largely support Minnesota OSHA and that the workforce development fund backs apprenticeships and training programs.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361687,"Labor Committee recommends confirmation of Judge Sean M. Quinn to Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals",49,2475000,2524000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff&start=2475&end=2524","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170356-972fec7ea884aab3a313957eac8058ff/thumbnail_2475000.jpg","/articles/6361687/Minnesota/Labor-Committee-recommends-confirmation-of-Judge-Sean-M-Quinn-to-Workers-Compensation-Court-of-Appeals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361687-0669c086b1170e9115d7003d427b506a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151813&Signature=hHCM~4YWkjPrJgJoinc6mdo25M2~69JgS2sI-OJtcS~4SG8d55zf0NhjjFSIGr4vQwGKvfUsmEsyUhLWr4c9jfeqGFTrCNKbsNG7Q0xKs8eqOqFjDCZO7-ZBDzyxuSSOPwlF8~4ML3BeDfDsQYT3KrAgjJqsYp3kTyHL13Q5cxHB23Km9WVRDtx6Ce7qvLcL2YFcl75t3yKhCfmjDctvXTaK5luV09vbWtrTJMMtRuung-0PrNTFjUJUKWU247f3IhEGDATT53UFaj3EjL7PsQH~JIsjep3eWDwZAoMuYdfUi3LwrvhkN1QZ4caoNePSDfhHt0RSykXI-jNvXT8hOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Minnesota Senate Labor Committee on Jan. 30 recommended that the full Senate confirm the appointment of Judge Sean M. Quinn to the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals.

Senator McEwen moved that the committee recommend confirmation of Judge Sean M. Quinn; the motion was approved by voice vote. Committee members said the formal paperwork had been received and the committee was prepared to include Judge Quinn in its recommendation to the full Senate.

The committee did not record a roll-call tally; the chair announced the motion passed by voice vote. The recommendation moves the nomination forward to the full Senate for confirmation under normal advice-and-consent procedures.","The Senate Labor Committee moved and unanimously recommended confirmation of Judge Sean M. Quinn to the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals on Jan. 30; committee recorded a voice vote in favor and said paperwork had been received.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate panel advances bill to standardize residential permit fees, sends it to housing committee

Senator Gruenhagen relays constituent complaints about sick-leave rules and rising unemployment taxes

Labor committee reviews DLI budget, MnOSHA federal funding and workforce-development programs

Labor Committee recommends confirmation of Judge Sean M. Quinn to Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals