SF 887

1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to state government; abolishing the Department of Employee Relations;
transferring duties; providing certain protections for employees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ABOLISHED;
DUTIES TRANSFERRED.
new text end

new text begin (a) The Department of Employee Relations and the position of the commissioner
of employee relations are abolished as of June 1, 2008. Duties of the Department of
Employee Relations and the commissioner of employee relations are transferred on or
before June 1, 2008, to the commissioner of finance, except as follows:
new text end

new text begin (1) duties relating to administration of the state employees workers' compensation
program are transferred on or before June 1, 2008, to the commissioner of administration;
and
new text end

new text begin (2) duties relating to health care purchasing improvement under Minnesota Statutes,
section 43A.312, are transferred on or before June 1, 2008, to the commissioner of health.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner of employee relations, in consultation with the commissioner
of finance, may specify one or more dates before June 1, 2008, on which any or all of the
transfers provided in paragraph (a) will occur.
new text end

new text begin (c) The governor may, in consultation with the commissioner of employee relations,
the commissioner of finance, the commissioner of administration, and the director of the
Office of Enterprise Technology, transfer other duties of the Department of Employee
Relations to other state agencies in order to most effectively and efficiently accomplish the
reorganization required by this act.
new text end

new text begin (d) Transfer of duties under this section is subject to Minnesota Statutes, section
15.039.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin WORKER PROTECTION.
new text end

new text begin In addition to any other protection, no employee in the classified service shall
suffer job loss, have a salary reduced, or have employment benefits reduced as a result
of a reorganization mandated or recommended under authority of section 1. No action
taken after July 1, 2009, shall be considered a result of reorganization for the purposes
of this section.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin REVISOR'S INSTRUCTION.
new text end

new text begin In the next and subsequent editions of Minnesota Statutes and Minnesota Rules, the
revisor of statutes must replace references to the Department of Employee Relations and
commissioner of employee relations with references to the appropriate department and
commissioner specified in section 1. The revisor of statutes, in consultation with affected
commissioners of state agencies, must prepare a bill for introduction in the 2008 legislative
session making other statutory changes needed to implement or conform with section 1.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE.
new text end

new text begin Sections 1 to 3 are effective the day following final enactment.
new text end