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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tony Albright (R)

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Legislative Update (January 24, 2019)

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Friends, 


It's been a busy first few weeks here at the Capitol. Committees have begun to meet, set the rules we will be governed under, and the first bills are making their way to committee. Below is a quick recap of the biggest issues of the first few weeks. Have a great weekend!


March for Life 

Tuesday, January 22 marked the 46th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court. On Tuesday, thousands of pro-life supporters from across the state took part in a march at the State Capitol to show their support for the unborn. I was proud to join them and many of my constituents who also braved the cold weather to stand for life. 

The purpose of the march, which is organized by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) is to commemorate the lives lost to abortion and to call for renewed respect and protection for all members of the human family, including unborn children and their mothers. Click on either of the photos below to see a quick video from the march. 

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Rep. Albright standing with thousands of Minnesotans in support of life. 

Don't Raise Our Healthcare Costs

Last Tuesday, Minnesota House Republicans held a press conference urging the new DFL House Majority and Governor Walz not to raise health care costs on Minnesotans by restoring the sick tax—a 2 percent tax levied on most patient services in Minnesota, including things like baby deliveries, chemotherapy treatments, routine doctor visits, emergency room visits, and more. The tax, which was eliminated as part of bipartisan legislation passed by a Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by Governor Dayton in 2011, is set to expire starting January 1, 2020. In total, restoring the tax would result in a more than $600 million increase on health care costs for Minnesotans next year alone. Over the past week, Governor Walz called it a "nonstarter" to end the tax, and DFL House HHS Finance Chair Tina Liebling said it was "essential" to restore the tax or replace its revenue.

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Last year, numbers from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Budget Director indicated that Minnesota is losing tens of millions of dollars per month by failing to implement periodic data matching (PDM), which helps verify program eligibility for Minnesota public programs. DHS has acknowledged that fraud within the childcare assistance program is a "big problem," costing the state tens of millions of dollars, and the non-partisan legislative auditor has released multiple reports detailing hundreds of millions in public program benefits going to recipients who are not eligible.

This approach simply does not make sense. We offer a simple alternative: don't raise our health care costs. You don't make health care more affordable by taxing it. Democrats seem insistent on moving forward with this tax but we will continue to remind them there is a different, better way to lower health care costs. 

 

Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any legislation put before the House, or any other matters to which I can be of assistance. You can set up a time to visit me at the Capitol by calling me at 651-296-5185 or contact me via email at rep.tony.albright@house.mn.

Enjoy your weekend,

Tony