Dear Neighbor,
The House and Senate have been away from the Capitol this week as we recognize the Easter/Passover holiday. This has allowed more time for me to meet with a number of people and organizations in our district to receive feedback on the issues and provide updates on the issues.
Just some of the meetings I’ve attended include a Transportation Forum on Tuesday, a meeting with a large business looking to expand, a meeting with School District 742, Saint Cloud Rotary, and the Saint Cloud State of the City address held at the new YMCA. I have also been catching up on my emails and constituent letters that I have gotten behind on during the recent busy weeks at the Capitol.
As for work at the Capitol, the House and Senate each have provided initial approval of their respective rosters of omnibus finance bills. This sets the stage for conference committees to begin meeting once we return to St. Paul next week. Those panels will work to reconcile differences between House and Senate budget bills so they may be considered for final approval and, ultimately, be sent to the governor for his action.
A Health and Human Services package the House approved on Friday marked the 11th and final omnibus finance bill to come to the floor. Overall, the bill focuses on assisting our state’s most vulnerable citizens. It appropriates $13.7 billion in 2017-18, with an additional $90 million in targeted help for disabled children, the elderly, victims of abuse and neglect and others.
The bill also would repeal Minnesota’s version of Obamacare – MNsure – which has been unsteady ever since it was launched. Insurance rates have skyrocketed, the private individual insurance market has sunk and people have been cut off from their preferred doctors and hospitals. People who get their insurance through MNSure would, if this becomes law, now be able to get it through the federal exchange.
Other key provisions in the HHS package include:
- Preserving a 7-percent increase for home- and community-based caregivers
- Providing a substantial investment into child care initiatives and commitment to policy reform of child care regulation in our state
- Includes an article devoted to opioid abuse prevention and treatment and provides a 3% operating payment rate increase for chemical dependency treatment services
- Relieving the financial burden on families with disabled and very sick children
- Increasing emergency shelter and transitional housing for sexually exploited youth
- Expanding the statewide bed capacity for inpatient psychiatric services for mentally ill children and adolescents
- Establishing a support program and respite care for family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease
- Requiring public health care program enrollees to verify their eligibility status
I will pass along more information on HHS and the other areas of the budget as things develop at the Capitol. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn in late May, so much will transpire over the course of the next handful of weeks.
Until next time, have a blessed and safe Easter/Passover weekend and I hope you are able to spend extra time in the company of friends and family.
Sincerely,
Jim