Under HF 1169 and SF 1058, all Minnesota cities would be prohibited from buying public safety equipment and employee apparel that are not manufactured in the United States.
These bills were introduced by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm). In addition to the buy American requirement, preference must be given manufacturers who pay an average annual income, including wages and benefits, of at least 150 percent of poverty adjusted for a family of four.
The bills would not only affect cities but all public employers. The bills define a public employer as a city, town, school district, metropolitan or regional agency, public corporation, political subdivision, special district, municipal fire department, nonprofit firefighting organization, the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the state, and state agencies.
The League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) has testified against HF 1169 in two House committees, citing that it would create yet another mandate on cities and that complying with the provisions of the bill could cause considerable overhead for cities.
The League also raised concerns about how cities are supposed to comply with the new mandate. It is not clear how cities are supposed to identify the manufacturer and if they comply with living wage preferences in the bill. The League also pointed to another bill moving through the process that requires cities to purchase through the state’s cooperative purchasing plan and questioned whether that program currently would comply with the requirements of this bill.
The Senate has not held a hearing on SF 1058, but since HF 1169 was heard by all House policy committees that had jurisdiction over the bill before the first committee deadline, the bills are still alive in the legislative process. The League will continue to monitor and express its concerns with the bills as they make their way through the legislative process.
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