Legislative & Regulatory Update
June 12, 2024 from 08:15 am - 10:30 am CT
Pending and recent legislation, communicated in an action-oriented way can help employers efficiently and effectively mitigate risk.
Join us for the latest updates on important legislation in Wisconsin & Minnesota that forward-thinking employers are preparing for.
About the speakers
Lida Bannink
Labor & Employment Attorney
Lida Bannink is a shareholder with Eckberg Lammers and the lead attorney in their Labor & Employment as well as a litigator in their business and individual law groups. She places a special emphasis on counseling employers, both businesses and municipalities, on how to manage the complex web of laws and regulations to support their entities’ human resource needs. When called upon to litigate, she is a strong advocate in the courtroom. She focuses in the following areas:
Labor & Employment
- Employee performance issues
- Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Separation/termination agreements
- Discrimination and harassment
- Noncompete/confidentiality agreements
- Wage & overtime/medical leave
- Whistleblowing & retaliation
- Employment handbooks
- Collective bargaining
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
- Telecommuting Agreements
- Worker Classification
- Workplace Investigations
Lida is actively involved in bettering the community, both professionally, such as her involvement in the St. Croix Valley Employers’ Association, United Way St. Croix Valley, and personally through various volunteer events and charitable giving opportunities. She has a passion for the outdoors and helping others in need.
LinkedInJay McLaren
Vice President, Public Policy & Government Relations - Medica
Jay McLaren has 24 years of experience in health care policy and federal and state government relations in Minnesota. For the last 15 years, McLaren has lobbied on behalf of Medica and he currently leads Medica's regulatory and legislative affairs team. Prior to Medica, McLaren was a Government Affairs Manager at Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical and worked on health policy at the State of Minnesota in a variety of capacities in the legislature and at the Department of health. McLaren is a native of Iowa, and received his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Iowa State University.
He lives in Shoreview, Minnesota with his wife and three sons.
Matt Schafer
Director of Government Relations - Medica
Matt Schafer is Medica’s Director of Government Relations. Matt has 24 years of experience in state and federal government relations, including more than 16 years of experience in lobbying health care issues. As Medica’s Director of Government Relations, Matt leads Medica’s legislative strategies in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In recent years, he has worked on legislative efforts to preserve and enhance state reinsurance programs in Minnesota and North Dakota and testifies regularly before legislative bodies in both states. He currently serves on the Minnesota Council of Health Plans Legislative Subcommittee, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s Health Policy Committee and the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans (WAHP) Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee. Additionally, Matt is a past member and former chair of MNsure’s Health Industry Advisory Committee .
Matt began his career by serving our country in the United States Marine Corps, where he worked in the Office of Public Affairs, in Washington, D.C., Japan and South Korea. He began his government relations career working for the Fleet Reserve Association, a non-profit organization representing active duty, retired and reserve Marines, Sailors and Coast Guard personnel. More recently, Matt worked for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN), where he oversaw a team of 12 individuals representing ACS-CAN in six states in the Upper Midwest. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Internetworking Technology from Strayer University.
Matt and his family are members of the King of Kings Lutheran Church in Woodbury. He occasionally coaches soccer and football, and is leading his family on a quest to visit every state park in Minnesota. He has written one fictional novel, The Triggerman, and is presently working on his second. Matt lives with his wife Shelly and their three kids in Woodbury, Minnesota.
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