Friends,
I hope you had a great time with your family over Passover and Easter weekend. It was great to get to spend time with my loved ones and refresh before getting back to work here at the Capitol. Below I have included a short explanation of the conference committee process, an update of our progress on health care, and a few other tidbits. Have a great weekend!
All Freshmen House members posed for a picture together this week
Conference Committees Begin Work
The House and Senate passed all of the budget omnibus bills that will fund state government and its essential duties over the next two years before we recessed for Passover and Easter Break.
The next step is now conference committees where appointed House and Senate members are beginning to compare similar provisions in the bills and negotiate to come up with a final compromise. My hope is that Governor Dayton participates in the conference committee process so that we can work through our differences to come to a final agreement.
House Public Services wrote an article about the entire process you can read here.
Health Care Relief & Reform
Over the past few months, my colleagues and I have heard from families from around Minnesota who have seen their health insurance premiums skyrocket. While Washington seems to have put health care reform on the back burner, we have made good progress in the Minnesota on this issue.
The first bill, the Emergency Aid & Access act provided emergency relief for 130,000 Minnesotans, delivering 25% premium reduction that will be seen by those who qualify as early as this month. The law also includes reforms to ensure continued access to doctors for people receiving life-saving treatment; provide affordable options for small businesses and their employees; increase competition and options on the individual market; protect patients from unfair billing practices; and allow organizations with member owners – such as farm cooperatives – to provide health insurance to their members.
The second bill, the Minnesota Premium Security Plan, is designed to stabilize premiums by mitigating the impact of high risk individuals, or those who are the most sick, on the individual health insurance market. Even Governor Dayton’s administration estimated this reform could reduce premium rates by 20 percent in 2018 and beyond. We also included a key requirement that insurers make available plans with access to more than one network of doctors and hospitals, increasing affordable options for consumers.
You can watch my quick video talking about what we've done here.
Construction Season
It's Spring and that means that construction season is well under way. See what projects may impact your commute around the metro here. Or for the full state you can look here.
On this day in History
According to tradition, on April 21, 753 B.C., Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, found Rome. Read the rest here.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office any time by calling me at 651-296-4192, or share your thoughts by emailing me at rep.regina.barr@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Regina