Dear Neighbors,
Greetings from the Minnesota State Capitol. I’m honored to continue serving Duluth in the Minnesota House of Representatives and look forward to the work ahead to build upon what makes Minnesota such a terrific state, and when we identify shortcomings, to collaborate and correct them.
As Minnesotans, we share some core values. Our kids deserve world-class schools with great teachers, but school district budget crunches put this in jeopardy. Everyone should be able to count on quality health care they can afford, but too many people face high out-of-pocket costs, including exorbitant insurance premiums and prescription drug prices. Many families are just one paycheck away from financial peril and these Minnesotans need economic security. I’m hopeful that working together, we can remove these barriers to success and truly give every Minnesotan an opportunity to prosper.
Long-Term Care Division
This session I’m taking on a new responsibility as Chair of the House Long-Term Care Division. One significant piece of unfinished business last session was improved protections for older adults living in care facilities. No one deserves to live in a situation where they might face abuse, neglect, or assault but unfortunately, this behavior happens far too often with little accountability. There’s a bipartisan commitment to strengthen licensing and enact other consumer-focused reforms around this issue to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of our parents and grandparents. I also look forward to taking a deeper dive at issues affecting the workforce that provides this type of care. People with disabilities, seniors, and other vulnerable Minnesotans deserve staff that’s dependable, dedicated, and qualified. Low wages and high turnover put this at risk and it’s up to us to develop solutions.
This session, other committees I’ll be serving on include Health and Human Services Finance, Health and Human Services Policy, Rules and Legislative Administration, and Taxes.
Almanac
In Minnesota, we have a Health Care Access Fund (HCAF) that has funded MinnesotaCare which provides health care for low-income working families and later, Medical Assistance, which has allowed people with disabilities, pregnant women and others to access health care.
On January 1, 2020, the funding source for the HCAF is set to disappear. This past Friday, I appeared on the public TV program “Almanac” to discuss the importance of ensuring we can truly deliver health care to all Minnesotans. You can watch the clip here.
Removing Barriers to Voting
In Minnesota, we’ve long prided ourselves on having exceptional voter turnout, and in 2018, we retook the top spot for turnout in the nation. There’s no reason we can’t aim for higher turnout though, especially among young people. To address this, I’ve reintroduced a bill which would provide for a Minnesotan to be automatically registered to vote upon acquiring a driver’s license. Several states have taken this approach, and I think Minnesota should be the next one as we work to ensure our next generation of voters becomes civically engaged. I chatted about the bill with House Public Information Services on “Starting Line.”
Be sure to keep in touch with your ideas and feedback throughout the legislative session. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Jen Schultz
State Representative