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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jeff Howe (R)

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Nursing homes deserve better

Friday, April 19, 2013

By Rep. Jeff Howe

 

A bill put forth to fund our long-term care facilities does so to a level that many of our nursing homes would be better off with no bill at all. The bill (HF 1233) cuts nursing homes and senior living by $26 million from the base. Estimates show 22.6 percent of the nursing homes in our region already are at the risk of closure. In Northwest Minnesota, 47 percent are at risk.

 

Care facilities would have to absorb these proposed cuts in their own budgets to make up the difference. The unfortunate reality is these cuts would make it impossible for many homes to keep their doors open. Then what?

 

Long-term facilities are a major component in our local economy, providing a great source of jobs. An area representative in the nursing home industry told me the federal Obamacare legislation alone will cost his business $190,000 annually. There is also a proposal to increase the minimum wage over what many of these businesses can afford.

 

The kicker? The Legislature controls how much these facilities can charge clients. This greatly restricts their ability to make up for increased regulatory costs or funding reductions. We cannot expect a business to operate this way, especially those that are taking care of our seniors.

 

Our focus should be on preparing for greater long-term needs as the Baby Boomers age. One report shows more Minnesotans will reach retirement age this decade than in the four previous decades combined. Another report indicates more people will be in need of long term care than there will be children in our schools.

 

In a separate bill to fund K-12 education, there are some positive, bipartisan measures. The positive measures include the early learning childhood scholarships, (this was piloted in the last biennium), increasing the basic funding formula by $209 per pupil and implementing all-day kindergarten. The expansion of all-day kindergarten is not fully funded, however, forcing school districts to either subsidize these costs from other areas of their budget or increasing class sizes.

 

My concern is the spending on programs that will not impact the classrooms, they include:

  • $4.5 million for regional centers of excellence.
  • $1 million for School Climate Center: Bullying Prevention.
  • $500,000 increase for Collaborative Urban Educator program.
  • $450,000 for Principal’s Academy.

We already know local control, effective teachers, and high standards are the best way to improve academic achievement for all students and to reduce the achievement gap. That is where our focus should be. I have faith in our school boards that they receive public input and put policies in place that are good for our children. I believe that the tax dollars collected and spent on these types of non-classroom expenses should be eliminated and should be spent on reducing the special education funding gap or supporting our classrooms.

OFFICER DECKER BILL ENACTED

I am pleased to announce the legislation Sen. Michelle Fischbach and I worked on to name a stretch of Highway 23 “Officer Tom Decker Memorial Highway” received Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature this week, making it official. I was honored to participate in the signing ceremony and it was pleasing to see this bill through the finish line. The people who drive Highway 23 between Cold Spring and Richmond will be reminded of Officer Decker’s legacy and the ultimate sacrifice he paid in the name of public safety.

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