Saint Paul, MN – As the 2024 Legislative Session comes to an end today, Joel Smith, President and Business Manager of LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota released the following statement.
“The 2023-2024 Legislature has proven to be the most pro-job, pro-working family Legislature in Minnesota history,” said Smith. “Last night, they continued to deliver for construction workers and their families by passing legislation that will strengthen broadband worker and infrastructure safety, prevent wage theft and exploitation in the housing industry, and improve transparency and collaboration in the permitting process for clean energy and other career-creating projects.”
The Legislature passed legislation that will strengthen broadband worker and infrastructure safety by supporting the development of a skilled local workforce and hold broadband providers accountable for deploying best practices. The Legislature took major steps to prevent wage theft, abuse and exploitation in the housing industry by requiring prevailing wages, ensuring responsible contractors, enhancing transparency, and holding owners accountable for abuse on publicly-financed affordable housing projects, and improving Minnesota’s ability to fight worker misclassification fraud. The Legislature improved transparency, certainty and collaboration in Minnesota’s permitting process of clean energy and other job-creating projects.
While the Legislature delivered historic wins for Minnesotans, Smith expressed disappointment in their failure to pass a bipartisan construction jobs bill. “With $7.6 billion in capital investment requests, every year is the year to keep up our infrastructure,” he said.
“We are grateful for the leadership and support of Speaker Melissa Hortman, Majority Leader Jamie Long, Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan, and all of the legislators and staff from both sides of the aisle who helped deliver for Minnesotans,” said Smith. “On behalf of the more than 14,000 members of LIUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, I thank you.”