Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill that would have increased funding for some nursing homes and senior services, saying a balanced budget needed to come first.
Sponsored by Rep. Lyle Koenen (DFL-Clara City) and Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), the bill would have allowed publicly owned nursing homes to apply for higher operating payment rates from the state if the local government entity agreed to pay a specified portion of the nonfederal share of Medical Assistance costs.
It would have also removed a provision in current law that requires the Department of Human Services to wait until receiving grant money to implement Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, services designed to keep seniors in their homes. A PACE appropriation from the General Fund would have been accompanied by cuts to community service development grants.
In his veto message, Pawlenty said that while he was “mindful of the underlying value” of the PACE program, he was hesitant to free up money that might be needed for non-transferrable cuts before the end of the legislative session.
A modified PACE provision later passed as part of SS
HF1*/SS
SF1, the budget balancing bill.
HF3571/
SF3019*/CH353
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