1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; prohibiting certain retailers from obtaining an ownership 
1.3 	interest in livestock dealers or meat packing companies; prohibiting certain 
1.4 	exclusive contracts;amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 17A.03, by adding 
1.5 	a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 17A.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 17A.03, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.8 	to read:
1.9 		Subd. 17.Dominant retailer. "Dominant retailer" means an entity that:
1.10 	(1) is primarily engaged in the sale of meat at retail;
1.11 	(2) has annual retail sales exceeding $18,000,000,000, as adjusted each year for inflation 
1.12 	by multiplying that amount by the cumulative inflation rate as determined by the United 
1.13 	States Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers; and
1.14 	(3) has at least one retail location or distribution center located in at least 20 states, 
1.15 	including Minnesota.

1.16 	Sec. 2. [17A.075] PROHIBITED OWNERSHIP INTERESTS AND EXCLUSIVE 
1.17 	CONTRACTS.
1.18 		Subdivision 1.Ownership interests and exclusive contracts. (a) A dominant retailer 
1.19 	must not directly or indirectly own, acquire, or otherwise obtain any ownership interest in 
1.20 	a livestock dealer or meat packing company.
2.1 	(b) A dominant retailer must not enter into an exclusive contract with any livestock 
2.2 	dealer or meat packing company that requires the livestock dealer or meat packing company 
2.3 	to sell their product exclusively to the dominant retailer.
2.4 		Subd. 2.Certification. By January 1, 2028, all dominant retailers doing business in 
2.5 	Minnesota must certify whether the dominant retailer is in compliance with subdivision 1. 
2.6 	A dominant retailer not in compliance with subdivision 1 by January 1, 2028, may request 
2.7 	an extension from the commissioner. The commissioner may provide an extension for 180 
2.8 	days for a dominant retailer to be in compliance, provided that the dominant retailer shows 
2.9 	a good faith effort in its attempts to be in compliance. To qualify for an extension, a dominant 
2.10 	retailer must submit a divestiture plan to the commissioner, in the form approved by the 
2.11 	commissioner, for each livestock dealer or meat packing company in which the dominant 
2.12 	retailer has an ownership interest.
2.13 		Subd. 3.Preliminary determination, public comment, enforcement, and penalties. (a) 
2.14 	Beginning August 1, 2027, the attorney general must consult with the commissioner and 
2.15 	the commissioner of commerce to assess potential violations of this section and to determine 
2.16 	which retailers meet the definition of a dominant retailer. By September 1, 2027, the attorney 
2.17 	general must publish a preliminary list of retailers that meet the definition of a dominant 
2.18 	retailer.
2.19 	(b) Beginning September 15, 2027, the attorney general must allow retailers to submit 
2.20 	information to rebut the retailer's listing on the attorney general's preliminary list. To submit 
2.21 	information, the retailer must submit an oath that the information submitted is accurate and 
2.22 	signed under penalty of perjury by an individual authorized to sign on behalf of the retailer. 
2.23 	The attorney general must allow the public to submit information on any dominant retailer 
2.24 	acting in violation of this section.
2.25 	(c) Beginning January 1, 2028, an action to enforce this section may be brought by the 
2.26 	attorney general in the name of the state on behalf of the commissioner for injunctive relief 
2.27 	or civil penalties. A dominant retailer found to be in violation of this section may be subject 
2.28 	to a civil penalty of $25,000 for each day a dominant retailer violates this section.

2.29 	EFFECTIVE DATE. Subdivision 1 is effective January 1, 2028.