1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public employees; providing that public 
  1.3             safety dispatchers are essential employees; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 179A.03, subdivision 
  1.5             7. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 179A.03, 
  1.8   subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 7.  [ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE.] "Essential employee" means 
  1.10  firefighters, peace officers subject to licensure under sections 
  1.11  626.84 to 626.855, 911 system and police and fire department 
  1.12  public safety dispatchers, guards at correctional facilities, 
  1.13  confidential employees, supervisory employees, assistant county 
  1.14  attorneys, principals, and assistant principals.  However, for 
  1.15  state employees, "essential employee" means all employees in law 
  1.16  enforcement, health care professionals, correctional guards, 
  1.17  professional engineering, and supervisory collective bargaining 
  1.18  units, irrespective of severance, and no other employees.  For 
  1.19  University of Minnesota employees, "essential employee" means 
  1.20  all employees in law enforcement, nursing professional and 
  1.21  supervisory units, irrespective of severance, and no other 
  1.22  employees.  "Firefighters" means salaried employees of a fire 
  1.23  department whose duties include, directly or indirectly, 
  1.24  controlling, extinguishing, preventing, detecting, or 
  1.25  investigating fires.