The Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant recently sent two executives to St. Paul to lobby against the bill, which the Legislature may vote on in special session this month.

"This is not health-care reform," said Nate Hurst, public and government relations manager for Wal-Mart. "This is a campaign against Wal-Mart."

The legislation would create a list of companies whose workers are enrolled in MinnesotaCare and other government health-care programs.

Proponents of the bill, whose chief author is Sen. Becky Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, say the public has a right to know which employers are draining the state's public health-care system. They say the bill doesn't target Wal-Mart, but will highlight ways the state can work with companies to improve health-care programs.

...In other states that have compiled such lists, Wal-Mart is at or near the top among employers with workers enrolled in state medical assistance.

Wisconsin reported last week that Wal-Mart employees topped the list of BadgerCare recipients, a health-care program for low-income residents.

Wal-Mart officials insist such rankings warp its record. As the nation's largest employer, Wal-Mart inevitably will fall at or near the top of most state rankings, the company said.

..."We'll be the largest on any list, just because of our size," Hurst said.