Clarifying home care regulations, strengthening vulnerable adult protections and streamlining food stand regulations are among the changes that would be implemented under a bill passed 122-0 by the House Thursday.
Sponsored by Rep. Nick Zerwas (R-Elk River), HF3142, as amended, would implement a package of policy changes sought by the Department of Health to resolve issues encountered or simplify commonly used processes. The bill now goes to the Senate where Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato) is the sponsor.
The bill would allow the department to temporarily suspend a home care provider’s license after severe violations or when a clear risk of a severe violation exists. Currently, the department issues a correction order and gives the provider time to try to fix the issue.
The bill would enact several minor changes and clarifications to the home care provider laws and prevent temporary home care provider licenses from remaining valid for the entire duration of their one-year term despite the provider not meeting substantial compliance standards.
An amendment successfully offered by Zerwas would provide home care workers legal protections for dispensing medical cannabis as part of their duties, similar to medical facilities.
Rep. Diane Loeffler (DFL-Mpls) successfully amended the bill so the department could coordinate a statewide response plan to any emergence of the Zika virus in Minnesota and seek federal funding to support those efforts. The department would perform monitoring of hospitals and mosquito populations for any cases of Zika virus.
Loeffler emphasized none of the species of mosquitos known to carry the Zika virus have been found in Minnesota yet, but the amendment is meant to get the state prepared against a possible incident.
The bill would also:
allow a special event food stand to operate for no more than 10 total days within the food stand’s license period. Such stands are now allowed to operate for no more than 10 days per year over no more than three times, or three separate events.