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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Bob Loonan (R)

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Legislative Update: Health Care, Real ID, & Sunday Sales

Monday, January 23, 2017

Neighbors,

January is almost over and, despite the shortened week in observance of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday last Monday, we are hard at work to deliver for Minnesotans. Here is my legislative update from the past week:

Health Care Relief Passes 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.

This was a frustrating vote. Government, through MNsure and Obamacare, created this mess and real people are hurting. This bill is a temporary solution and we need to get to work ASAP to find solutions for the health care insurance market in Minnesota.

We need to have a real conversation about how to drive down health care costs in Minnesota. Transparency, expanded choice, and market reforms need to drive the conversation moving forward.

REAL ID
You’ve probably heard about REAL ID in the news or maybe have seen signs at the airport, military bases, or other federal facilities. I wanted to take a moment to explain what exactly REAL ID is and what we are doing in St. Paul to address the situation.

In the wake of 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security created a set of standards that state driver’s licenses would need to meet to be able to board planes or grant access to federal facilities, including military bases. The goal of REAL ID is to make air travel and federal facilities more secure.
Minnesota is one of a few states that has not made our driver’s licenses REAL ID compliant and we face of deadline of January of 2018 to make progress or Minnesota driver’s licenses will no longer be sufficient for boarding an airplane. Minnesotans would need a passport or enhanced ID in order to fly domestically.

In order to address this, House Republicans have introduced House File 3 a two-track, opt-in REAL ID bill that will create a REAL ID compliant driver’s license for those who chose to have one. Minnesotans who do not wish to have a REAL ID compliant license can choose not to do so. This is a compromise that gives every Minnesotan the choice to either participate in REAL ID or to not do so.

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 with a bipartisan vote of 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.

Please call me with any questions or concerns at (651) 296-8872. You can also reach me via email at rep.bob.loonan@house.mn.

Have a great day,

Bob Loonan