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Zack Stephenson District 35A Anoka and Coon Rapids




Dear friends,

The holiday season is officially here! I hope you and your family find moments of peace, joy, and togetherness in the weeks ahead. And as we deal with a true Minnesota winter, please take care and stay safe in the cold and snowy weather.

Here’s an update from the State Capitol. 

Paid Family Leave starts on January 1st

I wanted to provide you with an important update on one of the most positive changes coming for working families in recent memory: Minnesota’s new Paid Leave Family & Medical Leave program. The U.S. is the only developed country in the world that doesn’t guarantee some form of paid leave, forcing most workers to make impossible choices between a paycheck and caring for a new child, an aging parent, or their own serious health condition. But in Minnesota, that’s about to change with the launch of Paid Leave on January 1, 2026. As we prepare for Paid Leave to take effect, I want to share a bit about the basics of the new law, how it impacts you, and how to use it when it goes live.

Paid Leave provides partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave for your own serious health condition, including pregnancy and recovery. It also provides up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a new child, a seriously ill loved one, or for certain military or safety-related events. If using both medical and family leave, workers can use up to a total of 20 weeks annually. A short video explaining the basics of how it works is available here:

[ [link removed] ]

The program will have a small cost, but offer powerful benefits. The premium rate for 2026 will be 0.88%, with employers responsible for at least half. If the employer chooses to split the premium with the employee, each will pay 0.44%. For an employee earning the average annual income, this amounts to about $6 per week each for the worker and the employer. Small businesses pay a lower premium. 

From a technical standpoint, Paid Leave is built on Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance system, using already proven technology instead of a new system to help ensure a smooth rollout on day one.  The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has been engaging with businesses across the state to help them prepare for the launch. Importantly, Paid Leave will level the playing field for small businesses that have wanted to offer this benefit so they can better compete to attract talent, but haven’t been able to do so in a sustainable way.

DEED has developed helpful toolkits with resources for workers and businesses alike. The toolkit for workers [ [link removed] ] can help you find out if you’re eligible for coverage, when Paid Leave can be used, how much time you can take, how you’ll be compensated, and more. The toolkit for businesses [ [link removed] ] includes info about upcoming public engagement events, information on premium rates and contributions, equivalent plans for Paid Leave, and other FAQs. 

For many Minnesotans, missing a single paycheck means the difference between staying above water and facing dire financial challenges, and that’s particularly true considering the affordability crisis we’re facing now, with prices rising for just about everything in our daily lives. Paid Leave is one major step to provide some relief, ensuring you’ll no longer have to risk your economic security to look after yourself, care for a newborn, or tend to a loved one.

This program has truly been years in the making, and I’m so excited for families in our community and throughout Minnesota to finally have peace of mind. As we get closer to the program’s rollout, I encourage you to check out all of the resources available at pl.mn.gov [ [link removed] ]. 

Budget forecast

Last week, Minnesota Management and Budget announced the November Budget and Economic Forecast [ [link removed] ]. We remain in a strong position, ending the last biennium with a nearly $5 billion surplus, having a projected $2.5 billion surplus in the current biennium, maintaining a healthy budget reserve of almost $4 billion, and earning a AAA bond rating thanks to responsible DFL budgeting.

Last month was open enrollment and all across Minnesota, in fact all across the country, working people saw the cost of their health insurance skyrocket. The single biggest takeaway from this budget forecast is that the same health care cost increases that are hitting family budgets are also impacting the state budget.

We’re seeing the consequences of chaotic and damaging policies at the federal level: higher prices, higher health care costs, and more and more giveaways going to billionaires and big corporations at the expense of the rest of us.

As usual, there was a lot of economic data in this forecast, but there was one clear theme: everything that should be going up is going down, and everything that should be going down is going up. Jobs are down, and layoffs are up.  Consumer spending is down, and inflation is up.  Wage growth for working families is down, but it's never been a better time to be a billionaire.  And of course, the biggest single factor: health care costs are way up, and Minnesotans are paying the price.

Minnesota DFLers are working to fix this broken, rigged system and build a future where hard work is actually rewarded, families have a real chance to get ahead, and communities can thrive. We are focused on lowering the cost of child care, health care, housing and more to help Minnesotans and address the affordability crisis we’re currently living through.

Dehumanizing attacks on our neighbors

In recent weeks, the President has used dehumanizing, divisive, and dangerous rhetoric to describe our Somali neighbors. This is sadly all too common for this President. When he is on the political ropes, he seeks to distract, divide, and demagogue. Scapegoating an entire community won’t bring down the costs of groceries or health care; it only furthers division and hatred. 

After the President’s comments, Minnesota has seen an influx of ICE agents targeting our communities. Let’s be clear: This isn’t about public safety; it’s about generating fear.  Just this week, federal agents have forced their way into private homes without warrants, drawn guns on students at a college campus, pepper-sprayed civilians, and detained children, legal residents, and U.S. citizens. House DFLers will continue to stand with the Somali community — and all of Minnesota’s immigrant community — when the President tries to use them for his own political benefit.

Additionally, here [ [link removed] ] are some immigration resources — Know Your Rights documents, emergency contacts, advocacy support, and more — compiled by our Senate DFL colleagues.

Keep in Touch

Please continue to reach out anytime if you need assistance or have questions at [email protected] or 651-296-5513.

It’s an honor to represent our Coon Rapids and Anoka families in St. Paul.

Sincerely,

Rep. Zack Stephenson

Minnesota House of Representatives






State Representative Zack Stephenson

5th Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St.
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-296-5513
www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15507
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