1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to employment; prohibiting retaliation 
  1.3             against an employee for reporting a public health 
  1.4             risk; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 
  1.5             181.932, subdivision 1. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 181.932, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [PROHIBITED ACTION.] An employer shall not 
  1.10  discharge, discipline, threaten, otherwise discriminate against, 
  1.11  or penalize an employee regarding the employee's compensation, 
  1.12  terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because:
  1.13     (a) the employee, or a person acting on behalf of an 
  1.14  employee, in good faith, reports a violation or suspected 
  1.15  violation of any federal or state law or rule adopted pursuant 
  1.16  to law to an employer or to any governmental body or law 
  1.17  enforcement official; 
  1.18     (b) the employee is requested by a public body or office to 
  1.19  participate in an investigation, hearing, inquiry; or 
  1.20     (c) the employee refuses an employer's order to perform an 
  1.21  action that the employee has an objective basis in fact to 
  1.22  believe violates any state or federal law or rule or regulation 
  1.23  adopted pursuant to law, and the employee informs the employer 
  1.24  that the order is being refused for that reason; or 
  1.25     (d) the employee, in good faith, reports to an employer or 
  2.1   to any governmental body or law enforcement official a situation 
  2.2   in which the quality of the health care services provided by a 
  2.3   health care facility, organization, or health care provider 
  2.4   violates a standard established by federal or state law or rule 
  2.5   or nationally recognized clinical standards and places the 
  2.6   public at risk of harm.