Legislative Update- February 12, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this newsletter finds you and yours staying warm! Our work continues in the Minnesota House; between meeting remotely with constituents, advocacy groups, and for committee and Floor sessions, I’ve been working on a variety of initiatives that improve health care access and affordability; you can read about some of these in my latest guest column.

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

As of today, 617,896 Minnesotans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 189,902 completing the series.

The Minnesota Department of Health indicated that Minnesota received almost 84,000 doses of the vaccine from the federal government this week. These will be divided up between our health care systems (39,800 doses), the Community Vaccination Program (7,000 doses), education and child care workers (10,000 doses), pharmacy partners (4,200 doses), local public health (nearly 15,000 doses - which will finish Phase 1A), tribal nations (3,000 doses), and the Department of Human Services for group homes (5,000 doses). More information is available on the COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard.

I continue to monitor the situation to ensure that we are moving as quickly as possible to get the vaccine out to all who want one.

Here’s an update on other measures under consideration in the House:

Protecting our Precious Boundary Waters  

I’m proud to author HF 840, the Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill. Millions of Americans and generations of families have enjoyed the BWCA’s clean water, amazing wildlife and unmatched outdoor recreation thanks to permanent state protections dating to the 1970s. The legislation closes the gap in these protections posed by sulfide-ore copper mining by permanently banning it in the watershed of the BWCA, thus providing assurance that this state and national treasure remains intact.

Protecting Health Coverage for New Mothers

This week, my bipartisan bill to expand Medical Assistance coverage to 12 months post-partum (currently, MA only covers new mothers for 60 days post-partum) passed unanimously 11-0. Minnesotans understand the importance of access to healthcare for new mothers and the urgent need for this change in our state. Many thanks to our expert testifiers who spoke so eloquently about our maternal mortality crisis.

Keep in Touch

Thank you for calling and emailing to share input and questions. I appreciate hearing from you! We’re able to get the results our 33B community deserves with feedback and citizen collaboration. I can be reached at rep.kelly.morrison@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-4315.

Thank for the honor of serving our residents and families in the Minnesota Legislature.

Stay warm this weekend.

Sincerely,

Kelly