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Town hall tomorrow & Capitol Update

Friday, January 20, 2017

Friends,

January is now over half over and the 2017 session continues to be a productive one. This week the House passed health care premium relief, REAL ID passed another committee, and Sunday Sales passed out of committee as well. Lastly, Majority Leader Peppin and I are holding a listening session Saturday Morning.

Health Care Emergency Act Passes the House

The 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access bill passed the House on Thursday with bipartisan support. 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 Republican plan provides emergency premium relief to Minnesotans who need it most.

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

  3. Affordable Options. The House Republican 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 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

REAL ID

REAL ID passed the Transportation Finance committee this week and has another committee hearing scheduled on Monday in the Ways and Means committee. As discussed in last week’s update, my REAL ID bill offers a two-track system. Those who wish to comply with the federal requirements can choose to opt-in and do so. Those who do not want a REAL ID compliant ID, can chose to have the same license they do now.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding REAL ID, please call me at 651.296.5502.

House Image

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 out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support 15-4.

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

Listening Session this Saturday Morning

I will be hosting a listening session with Majority Leader Joyce Peppin on Saturday, January 21 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at the Maple Grove Community Center room 129. All are welcome to come share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Hope to see you there!

Please continue to share your thoughts with me about our state government; bill ideas and concerns are welcomed! I am honored to serve you at the Capitol. My email address is Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, phone number 651-296-5502, and by mail: 375 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.

Have a great weekend!

Dennis

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