Other New State Laws Going Into Effect July 1st

(KNSI) — Aside from the new laws surrounding boating and motorcycling, there are a number of other new rules that go into effect today.

One of them establishes a one-time $100 million appropriation in fiscal year 2026 to reimburse school districts for their summer unemployment insurance programs serving hourly school workers. These funds will support school districts, charter schools, intermediate school districts, and other cooperative units in covering the costs of unemployment benefits provided to hourly employees during the summer months when schools are not in session. While hourly school workers will continue to be eligible for summer unemployment insurance benefits in future years, school districts will eventually need to absorb these costs once the one-time funding expires.

The $25.73 billion K-12 education finance and policy law will increase funding to schools by $4.2 million in the 2026-27 biennium.

A new law will provide a $50.5 million increase over base for veterans and military affairs funding and make several policy changes. Sponsored by Rep. Matt Bliss (R-Pennington) and Sen. Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud), $40.9 million goes to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Within this allocation, $39.17 million supports operations at the state’s eight veterans’ homes, including staffing increases to reduce the waitlist of veterans seeking to live there. Other department increases include a nearly $1.19 million operating adjustment, $300,000 to increase suicide prevention efforts, $300,000 to expand home-delivered meals to veterans including those in Greater Minnesota, $120,000 to provide technical assistance to county veterans service officers in three areas including women veterans, suicide prevention and justice-involved veterans, and $100,000 to Hometown Hero Outdoors to fund outdoor recreational activities and mental health services for currently serving military personnel and veterans.

Some changes were also made to hunting and fishing laws. They include open season for taking large and smallmouth bass year round, and a “shotgun zone” that restricted deer hunters to using only shotguns, muzzleloaders, and handguns in the southern portion of the state is repealed.

For those who are tired of paying more than $5 for bottled water at a concert venue, the law now says that a place of entertainment will be required at a ticketed event with at least 100 attendees to provide access to free water and allow attendees to bring factory-sealed bottled water or an empty water bottle to access drinking water. Limits can be placed on the types and sizes of bottles that are allowable.

A clarification was also passed, making some changes to earned sick and safe time policies that allow employers to request a doctor’s note for an employee taking off two or more consecutive days, rather than three days.

See more new laws here.

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