1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to employment; modifying provisions governing 
  1.3             payment of wages; including the state in the 
  1.4             definition of employer for certain purposes; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 181.02; 181.03; 
  1.6             181.063; 181.10; 181.13; and 181.171, by adding a 
  1.7             subdivision. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.02, is 
  1.10  amended to read: 
  1.11     181.02 [SALARY OR WAGES NOT TO BE PAID BY NONNEGOTIABLE 
  1.12  INSTRUMENTS.] 
  1.13     It shall be is unlawful for any person, firm, or 
  1.14  corporation an employer, other than a public service 
  1.15  corporations corporation, to issue to any employee in lieu of or 
  1.16  in payment of any salary or wages earned by such the employee a 
  1.17  nonnegotiable time check or order.  
  1.18     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.03, is 
  1.19  amended to read: 
  1.20     181.03 [CERTAIN ACTS RELATING TO PAYMENT OF WAGES 
  1.21  UNLAWFUL.] 
  1.22     A person, firm, corporation, or association An employer may 
  1.23  not, directly or indirectly and with intent to defraud,: 
  1.24     (1) cause any employee to give a receipt for wages for a 
  1.25  greater amount than that actually paid to the employee for 
  1.26  services rendered or; 
  2.1      (2) directly or indirectly demand or receive from any 
  2.2   employee any rebate or refund from the wages to which owed the 
  2.3   employee is entitled under contract of employment with such the 
  2.4   employer,; or 
  2.5      (3) in any manner make or attempt to make it appear that 
  2.6   the wages paid to any employee were greater than the amount 
  2.7   actually paid to the employee.  
  2.8      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.063, is 
  2.9   amended to read: 
  2.10     181.063 [ASSIGNMENT OF WAGES, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.] 
  2.11     Any officer or employee of a county, town, city, or school 
  2.12  district, or the state, or any department thereof, has the same 
  2.13  right to sell, assign, or transfer salary or wages as is now 
  2.14  possessed by any officer of or person employed by any 
  2.15  corporation, firm, or person.  
  2.16     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.10, is 
  2.17  amended to read: 
  2.18     181.10 [WAGES PAID EVERY 15 DAYS.] 
  2.19     Every person, firm, corporation, or association employer 
  2.20  employing any person to labor or perform service on any project 
  2.21  of a transitory nature, such as the construction, paving, 
  2.22  repair, or maintenance of roads or highways, sewers or ditches, 
  2.23  clearing land, or the production of forest products or any other 
  2.24  work which that requires the employee to change the employee's 
  2.25  place of abode, shall pay the wages or earnings of such the 
  2.26  person at intervals of not more than 15 days, and payments 
  2.27  thereof shall be made at the place of employment or in close 
  2.28  proximity thereto to the place of employment. 
  2.29     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.13, is 
  2.30  amended to read: 
  2.31     181.13 [PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO PAY WAGES PROMPTLY.] 
  2.32     (a) When any person, firm, company, association, or 
  2.33  corporation employer employing labor within this state 
  2.34  discharges a servant or an employee, the wages or commissions 
  2.35  actually earned and unpaid at the time of the discharge shall 
  2.36  become are immediately due and payable upon demand of the 
  3.1   employee.  If the employee's earned wages and commissions are 
  3.2   not paid within 24 hours after such demand, whether the 
  3.3   employment was by the day, hour, week, month, or piece or by 
  3.4   commissions, the employer is in default.  The discharged 
  3.5   employee may charge and collect the amount of the employee's 
  3.6   average daily earnings at the rate agreed upon in the contract 
  3.7   of employment, for such period, not exceeding each day up to 15 
  3.8   days, after the expiration of the 24 hours, as that the employer 
  3.9   is in default, until full payment or other settlement, 
  3.10  satisfactory to the discharged employee, is made.  In the case 
  3.11  of a public employer where approval of expenditures by a 
  3.12  governing board is required, the 24-hour period for 
  3.13  payment shall does not commence until the date of the first 
  3.14  regular or special meeting of the governing board following 
  3.15  discharge of the employee.  
  3.16     (b) The wages and commissions must be paid at the usual 
  3.17  place of payment unless the employee requests that the wages and 
  3.18  commissions be sent through the mails.  If, in accordance with a 
  3.19  request by the employee, the employee's wages and commissions 
  3.20  are sent to the employee through the mail, the wages and 
  3.21  commissions shall be deemed to have been are paid as of the date 
  3.22  of their postmark for the purposes of this section. 
  3.23     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.171, is 
  3.24  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  3.25     Subd. 4.  [EMPLOYER; DEFINITION.] "Employer" means any 
  3.26  person having one or more employees in Minnesota and includes 
  3.27  the state and any political subdivision of the state.  This 
  3.28  definition applies to this section and sections 181.02, 181.03, 
  3.29  181.031, 181.032, 181.06, 181.063, 181.10, 181.101, 181.13, 
  3.30  181.14, and 181.16.