2026 Legislative Report
The Minnesota AFL-CIO, the state’s federation of labor unions, released its 2026 Legislative Report to help voters learn how their lawmakers voted on key legislative issues during this year’s legislative session.
“Working Minnesotans, both union and non-union, need to know where their state lawmakers stood when it mattered most,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham. “Even in a divided legislature, pro-labor lawmakers proved that when you prioritize everyday people over corporate special interests, you can deliver results. As early voting begins, we encourage every worker to review this report, check their lawmakers’ lifetime voting records, and take that knowledge to the ballot box.”
The 2026 Legislative Session proved to be a net positive for working Minnesotans despite an evenly divided House chamber. Pro-worker lawmakers successfully passed vital legislation, including a Minnesota AFL-CIO-led workers’ compensation package that delivered a historic 20% benefit increase for permanently disabled workers and expanded diagnostic care for work-related PTSD. Lawmakers also enacted a $1.24 billion job-creating infrastructure bonding package, stabilized Hennepin County Medical Center, extended unemployment insurance for laid-off Iron Range miners and secured higher pay and bonuses for direct care and nursing home staff. Pro-labor lawmakers also held the line to defend 2023’s historic worker victories, blocking efforts to weaken Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time.
Legislators’ overall scores in the report are calculated from 10 high-stakes floor votes and key procedural motions in both the House and Senate. These scored votes span workers’ compensation, infrastructure investments, public education funding, healthcare protections, housing assistance, and measures to hold federal agents accountable for lawless and violent attacks on our communities. In total, 33 Senators and 67 Representatives earned perfect 100% voting scores for their consistent support of working people during the 2026 session.
