Greetings from the Capitol!
Another week has flown by in St. Paul and there is a lot of good news to share with you.
Tax Conformity Update
House File 2, federal tax conformity, was passed by the Senate Thursday and signed into law by the Governor today. I am happy to see some tax relief already passed and signed into law this early in session. I look forward to supporting greater relief later this year.
Health Insurance Cost Relief and Reform
Last week, the House introduced House File 1, The 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access bill. I heard from many of you on the campaign trail about needing health insurance cost relief and wanting to see reforms made to the market. I want to ensure you that the House is working diligently on this issue.
House File 1 consists of three key aspects: providing $300 million of premium relief for those Minnesotans who qualify on the individual market; ensuring continued access to doctors; and making individual market reforms, such as ending surprise billing, conforming with federal law to allow small businesses to offer a direct contribution toward health insurance premiums, and allowing for-profit health maintenance organizations (HMO) to enter the individual market.
The bill passed the Senate Thursday and is headed to the House for a vote next week. If the bill passes the House, which I am optimistic that it will, it will then go to conference committee with the Senate to finalize the language before it heads to the Governor’s desk. I am hopeful for his signature.
Contact Me
For any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-0141 or rep.randy.jessup@house.mn. Thank you again for allowing me to represent you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Randy