Minnesota Laws

In Minnesota, all employers—even those with just one employee—are required to provide breastfeeding employees with time to pump and a private space to do so. An amendment to the law, effective January 1, 2022, prohibits employers from reducing an employee's pay for time spent expressing milk and limits the obligation to provide break time to one year. See the law: Minn. Stat. § 181.939.

In May 2023, the Minnesota legislature passed a bill that removes limits on reasonable paid breaks for expressing milk during the first 12 months postpartum and mandates that workplace lactation rooms be "clean, private, and secure." Read the bill: SF 3035.

Additionally, Mille Lacs County has a policy supporting breastfeeding employees. The policy ensures break time and a designated “privacy room” for pumping. For details, see the Personnel Policy Manual (pages 19–22).