Dear Neighbors,
On Saturday, the Minnesota House of Representatives debated and approved the Health and Human Services (HHS) Policy and Finance bill. This legislation spends nearly $19 billion over the next two years and included a number of provisions that are simply unacceptable.
The spending is $800 million more than the last budget we passed in 2019. Much of the increase in spending is from one-time federal funds—yet we are using those funds to create ongoing expenses in our HHS budget. This is not a fiscally responsible way to increase spending when Minnesota is already the 4th highest state in our nation on welfare spending per person.
The harmful policies in the bill will cause health care rates to skyrocket, reduce health plan choices for thousands of Minnesota families, and fuel instability in Minnesota’s individual insurance market. This means that for the second budget in a row, Democrats are directly raising health care costs on Minnesotans.
In addition to raising health care costs, the bill failed to rein in HHS spending which continues to grow at unsustainable levels. This includes significant expansions to existing programs, and expansions in spending on welfare programs.
I was also shocked to learn that there was a provision in the bill that changes state law to allow individuals convicted of incest to become foster parents. This is totally unacceptable and could possibly put children directly in harm’s way.
For these reasons and several more, I was a strong “no” on this bill.
Staying in Touch
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share your thoughts, questions, and concerns as it relates to state government. I can be reached at 651-296-4229 or via email at rep.glenn.gruenhagen@house.mn.
Have a great day,
Glenn