Dear Neighbors,
It’s hard to believe January is almost over. These past four weeks at the Capitol certainly have flown by.
As we settle into these gray winter months in Minnesota, it’s not unusual for the use of indoor tanning beds to increase. I thought you may be interested to know our state is already seeing encouraging results from passage of the bill I authored in 2013 to ban the use of indoor tanning booths by minors.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services 2016 Minnesota Student Survey, the percentage of 11th grade girls who tanned indoors at least once during the past 12 months is down across the board:
· White, 9%
· American Indian, 8%
· Hispanic Latino, 5%
· Black, 5%
In some cases, the decrease is dramatic. For white females the percentage dropped from 33% in 2013 to 9% in 2016. For American Indian females the decrease went from 23% to 8%. This is a good step in the right direction and I hope to see more reductions in the near future.
Extension of Health Insurance Enrollment
The open enrollment period to purchase health insurance through MNSure, which was originally supposed to end on January 31, has been extended until February 8. The Star Tribune reported on the extension recently; you can read about the details here.
Constituent Visits
The most rewarding part of my work at the Capitol is meeting with community members from our district. Last week I had the opportunity to meet with several constituents advocating on important issues or bills that impact them and/or their line of work. I appreciate these visits and their value.
Discussing access to healthy food with constituents from Partners in Nutrition
Advocating for the University of Minnesota
If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact me at 651-296-7807 or by email at rep.joann.ward@house.mn. I appreciate your input on the issues important to you.
Sincerely,
JoAnn Ward