The Minnesota House has tabled a bill that would delay the state's paid medical and family care leave program by one year. 

The GOP-backed bill would push back the implementation of the program from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027. 

Monday's move by House lawmakers to table the bill means it can still be voted on anytime during the legislative session. 

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill that created the plan for paid leave in May 2023. It will allow workers up to 12 weeks a year off with partial pay to care for a newborn or a sick family member and up to 12 weeks to recover from their own serious illness. Benefits will be capped at 20 weeks a year for employees who take advantage of both.

The program is funded by a 0.88% payroll tax increase that's split between employers and employees, according to state officials. That premium is higher than the 0.7% that the initial 2023 law anticipated.

The total premium for a person making $67,000 per year would be $590. An employer could split that with an employee so each would pay $295 per year. Employees working at businesses with 30 or fewer people would pay less.

Rep. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, one of the bill's 34 authors, says lawmakers haven't had enough time to see how the plan impacts Minnesotans. 

"This pause will allow us to hear from more [people impacted] this session," Baker said during a committee hearing for the bill last month.

The Minnesota DFL Party claims the delay is part of an attempt to fully repeal the program. 

"Republicans are trying to delay Minnesota's paid leave program until after the next election so that they can repeal it entirely," Heidi Kraus Kaplan, executive director of the Minnesota DFL Party, said in a written statement before the bill was put on hold. 

At least one Democrat will need to join GOP lawmakers to pass the bill off the floor since 68 votes is the threshold to approve legislation, and neither party has that many members right now. But House Democrats in a statement said they are united against the plan and argue that three years from passage to implementation is enough time for companies to prepare and comply with the new rules.

"Minnesota workers and families should have the security of paid leave to care for themselves and their loved ones," Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said. "No Minnesotan should have to worry about losing a paycheck to care for a newborn baby, tend to an aging parent, or focus on their recovery during a serious illness or injury. We will continue to stand against any attempts to delay or repeal paid family and medical leave." 

Private companies that already offer paid leave must meet the standards for benefits outlined in the plan. They can avoid the payroll tax increase by paying a fee to opt out of the state-run program.  

Note: The above video first aired on Oct. 8, 2024.