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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Regina Barr (R)

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Capitol Update from Rep. Barr - Health care relief passes House, Sunday Sales progress

Friday, January 20, 2017

Neighbors,

Greetings from the Capitol. The quick start to session has continued and we are hard at work to find solutions that work for all Minnesotans. Progress was made on a number of issues with bipartisan support including getting premium relief for Minnesotans and Sunday Sales.

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Discussing the issue of the day with Reps. Christensen
(left) and Fenton (right) on the House Floor

Health Care Emergency Act Passes the House

The 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access bill passed the House on Thursday with bipartisan support. You can read my statement on its passage here. The bill does three key things to provide relief and begin to make reforms to the health insurance market in Minnesota.

  1. Premium Relief. The House plan provides emergency premium relief to Minnesotans who need it most.

  2. Continuity of Care. The House plan preserves access to life saving treatment and end-of-life care for Minnesotans.

  3. Affordable Options. The House plan provides immediate new opportunities for coverage for Minnesotans and starts the process of increasing competition and choices next year. These reforms stand alone and are independent of future federal changes.

The bill will now be referred to a conference committee where the House and Senate will negotiate with Governor Dayton.

This is just the beginning of what will be the long process of fixing the individual market here in Minnesota. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas on the best way to make health care work here in Minnesota, please email or give me a call at 651.296.4192.

Sunday Sales Progress

The fight over Minnesota’s Sunday Liquor ban may finally be coming to an end. On Tuesday, the House Commerce Committee passed Rep. Jennifer Loon’s bill to permit the sale of liquor on Sundays. The bill is a compromise, allowing liquor stores to sell liquor between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on Sundays. It passed the Commerce Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support 15-4.

I was happy to vote in favor of this common sense bill in committee and will happily support final passage on the House Floor.

Want to make a difference?

The Secretary of State released a list of various state boards, councils, and committees that have vacancies and are now accepting applications. Click here to view the newest openings and see where to apply.

Meeting with Local Leaders

This past week I attended a Dakota County Chamber event with Sen. Matt Klein and a number of local leaders. I was also happy to take a joint meeting with Sen. Klein with the leaders of our local school district. Ensuring all Minnesotans have access to a great education is one of my top priorities and value input from those on the front lines.

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At the Dakota County Chamber Event

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Meeting with local school leaders and Sen. Klein

 

Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas on the bills heard in committee and in session. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office any time by calling me at (651) 296-3921, or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.regina.barr@house.mn

Thank you and have a great weekend,

Regina

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