Covered employers providing commuter benefits to covered employees requirement provision

This bill requires large employers in major Minnesota cities to offer tax-free commuter benefits to full-time workers who live near public transit. Specifically, companies with 50 or more employees within one mile of a regular transit route must provide a pretax benefit allowing workers to pay for transit passes through payroll deductions. The law also permits employers to offer additional subsidies for walking, biking, or carpooling and mandates that transit authorities create a map to help identify which businesses are covered. Employers can negotiate to waive this requirement through a collective bargaining agreement, and the rules do not interfere with existing union contracts.