Covered employers would let workers buy transit passes before taxes

Covered employers would let workers buy transit passes through payroll deductions before taxes are calculated. The rule would cover public and private employers in cities classed as first class under state law, with at least 50 employees at an address within one mile of regular route transit. Covered workers are paid, full-time employees averaging at least 35 hours weekly. Federal tax law would cap the amount workers could exclude from taxable pay. The offer would start with a worker's first full pay period after 120 days of employment. Existing valid union contracts would keep their terms. Agreements made after the section takes effect could waive its requirements through clear, explicit wording. The later requirement to offer the benefit to all employees leaves unclear whether workers outside the covered-worker definition would qualify. The proposal leaves the section's effective date blank.

Transit bodies would publish a searchable map, and transit and regional planning agencies would tell riders about the program. The Metropolitan Council and relevant transit authorities or governing bodies in first-class cities would publish the map. All transit authorities and metropolitan planning organizations would explain the program and its requirements to riders. The proposal leaves the section's effective date blank.