1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to employment; concerning certain purchases and acquisitions by public 
1.3 	employers; concerning required work-related purchases for employees of public 
1.4 	employers; establishing purchasing preferences;proposing coding for new law in 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 181.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [181.986] REQUIRED EQUIPMENT AND APPAREL.
1.8 	Notwithstanding any other law or rule to the contrary, a public employer is 
1.9 	prohibited from purchasing or acquiring, furnishing, or requiring an employee to purchase 
1.10 	or acquire for wear or use while on duty, any of the following items if the item is not 
1.11 	manufactured in the United States of America: 
1.12 	(1) any uniform or other item of wearing apparel over which an employee has no 
1.13 	discretion in selecting except for selecting the proper size; or
1.14 	(2) safety equipment or protective accessories.
1.15 	Preference must be given to purchases from manufacturers who pay an average 
1.16 	annual income, including wages and benefits, equal to at least 150 percent of the federal 
1.17 	poverty guideline adjusted for a family size of four. For purposes of this section, "public 
1.18 	employer" means a county, home rule charter or statutory city, town, school district, 
1.19 	metropolitan or regional agency, public corporation, political subdivision, special district 
1.20 	as defined in section 6.465, subdivision 3, municipal fire department, independent 
1.21 	nonprofit firefighting corporation, the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota State 
1.22 	Colleges and Universities, and the state of Minnesota and its agencies.

1.23 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective January 1, 2010.