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Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities recognizes the important <br />contributions veterans have made and <br />supports giving veterans limited <br />preference in employment. To strengthen <br />and improve the VPA, the legislature <br />should: <br />a) Allow cities to place veterans on <br />probationary periods upon promotion <br />as they do with other employees; and <br />b) Restore the language in Minn. Stat. § <br />197.46 requiring a hearing to be held <br />before a local civil service commission <br />where one exists. <br />HR-16. Military Leave <br />Reimbursement <br />Issue: Minn Stat. § 192.26 subd. 1, requires <br />local units of government to provide 15 days <br />of compensation per year to employees who <br />are members of the military for military <br />leave. State laws give preference to hiring <br />veterans for public sector jobs, and, citizen <br />soldiers are a natural fit to also serve as <br />public safety personnel. As such, many <br />public safety personnel are often also <br />members of the military and are required to <br />conduct training and military duties <br />throughout the year. <br />In addition to providing compensation for <br />mandatory military leave, cities must also <br />ensure that these temporary vacancies are <br />adequately filled by public safety personnel <br />whose training and qualifications are unique <br />to providing public safety. This can result in <br />added overtime costs and may impact public <br />safety service levels. <br />Government employers honor and recognize <br />the importance of ensuring members of the <br />military are able to fulfill their duties and <br />participate in mandatory training, while also <br />aiming to ensure that public safety service in <br />their community is efficient, seamless, and <br />cost-effective. In response to this issue, there <br />have been recent legislative proposals to <br />reimburse local units of government for <br />military leave paid to public safety <br />personnel. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports state funding to ensure <br />that local units of government can <br />maintain quality and cost-effective public <br />safety services in their communities and <br />for their taxpayers while also offering full <br />support for employees who are members <br />of the military. Such state funding could <br />include reimbursement of costs incurred <br />to local units of government related to <br />compensating personnel on military leave <br />as well as reimbursement for costs related <br />to ensuring these temporary vacancies are <br />adequately filled. <br />HR-17. Background Checks <br />Issue: Current law allows criminal justice <br />background checks on active employees (as <br />opposed to applicants for employment) only <br />when such employees are firefighters or <br />work with children. The law governing <br />criminal history background checks on <br />police and other city employees does not <br />specifically allow such checks on active <br />employees. Cities need the ability to be able <br />to conduct criminal history background <br />checks on active employees as well as <br />applicants for employment using the BCA or <br />the BCA database access. <br />Response: Cities should be able to <br />conduct, but not be required to conduct, <br />criminal history background checks on <br />active employees using the BCA database. <br />The laws governing background checks <br />for all city employees should be amended <br />to allow for this practice. For those cities <br />that choose to use the BCA to run the <br />criminal history employment background <br />check for them, the fee should be the <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2018 City Policies Page 91 <br />