New Minnesota Laws In Effect In July Target Wage Theft, Marital Rape, Opiates

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Starting July 1, Minnesotans who rape their spouses finally can be charged with sexual assault. Wage theft becomes a crime. And drug manufacturers will help shoulder the costs of the opioid epidemic.

Those are some new Minnesota laws taking effect July 1 along with the state’s new $48 billion budget.

Minnesota will have what sponsors say is the country’s toughest wage theft law. It comes down hard on employers who cheat workers by making it a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. An estimated 39,000 Minnesotans annually are victims of wage theft in some form.

View the complete June 23 article on the WCCO TV website here.