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, public safety dispatchers, guards at 
  1.12  correctional facilities, confidential employees, supervisory 
  1.13  employees, assistant county attorneys, principals, and assistant 
  1.14  principals.  However, for state employees, "essential employee" 
  1.15  means all employees in law enforcement, health care 
  1.16  professionals, correctional guards, professional engineering, 
  1.17  and supervisory collective bargaining units, irrespective of 
  1.18  severance, and no other employees.  For University of Minnesota 
  1.19  employees, "essential employee" means all employees in law 
  1.20  enforcement, nursing professional and supervisory units, 
  1.21  irrespective of severance, and no other employees.  
  1.22  "Firefighters" means salaried employees of a fire department 
  1.23  whose duties include, directly or indirectly, controlling, 
  1.24  extinguishing, preventing, detecting, or investigating fires.