Committee adopts amendment and refers bill to Agriculture to create ag worker ombudsperson at DEED
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Summary
The committee approved an A‑1 amendment and passed Senate File 7‑75 to create an ombudsperson for agricultural and food‑processing workers housed in the Department of Employment and Economic Development; the bill was referred to the Agriculture Committee by voice vote.
Sen. Putnam introduced Senate File 7‑75 on Feb. 17 to create an ombudsperson within the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to assist agriculture and food‑processing workers with housing, workplace safety and fair‑labor questions.
Sen. Joy Ham offered an A‑1 amendment to add the ranking minority member to a governance line, clarify report placement in the legislative reference library, and require a subscription of all expenditures for transparency. Sen. Putnam accepted the A‑1 as a friendly amendment. The committee adopted the A‑1 by voice vote.
The author said the office is intended as a centralized “one‑stop” resource to help workers and employers navigate rights, responsibilities and services across multiple agencies. Sen. Putnam and co‑authors described broad support from labor and industry groups, including the Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Midwest Food Products Association and the Minnesota Pork Producers Association; AgriGrowth provided a letter of support, the author said.
After discussion about suitable housing within state government, committee members moved to pass the bill as amended and refer it to the Senate Agriculture Committee. Sen. Pratt made the motion to pass and refer; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and the chair announced the bill was passed and referred.
Action recorded in committee: A‑1 amendment adopted; Senate File 7‑75 passed as amended and referred to the Agriculture Committee. No roll‑call vote was taken in committee.