Dear Neighbors,
We’re closing in on the final weeks of session, and things are moving quickly. We’re seeing some important bills come together. Three of my bills are still alive in some form, which is encouraging as we enter the final days.
My bill to create a strategic plan to combat HIV/AIDS is still waiting to be heard on the House floor. It’s actually good this wasn’t included in any omnibus bills so we can hopefully debate it and pass soon. I’m hoping it will be heard soon. If the House and the Senate can pass this legislation, I’m confident the governor will sign it into law.
I also have language that’s still in the House and Senate health and human services bill. You might remember from a previous update, but this bill requires the commissioner of health to work with interested stakeholders in order to identify areas of improvement relating to long-term care and safety. The bill also appropriates funds to “investigate complaints and reports regarding maltreatment of vulnerable adults in health care settings.” This is still part of the agreement between the House and Senate, and now just needs to be negotiated with the governor and his commissioners.
My other provision that could also become law is my legislation to extend the GI bill in Minnesota. This is part of a different omnibus, but also made the cut as the House and Senate negotiated the differences. These bills need to be ironed out with Governor Dayton, but we’re ahead of schedule right now, and have plenty of time to come to an agreement.
There are other areas of budget negotiations that I’m keeping an eye on. I know bus transit, working class tax relief, and education funding are important to our area which means they’re important to me. We have to adjourn on May 22, so these budget bills will be changing quickly in the coming days, and I’ll keep you updated.
I also wanted to address some concerns I’ve heard from our area. Many have called or emailed regarding the United States House of Representatives passing their healthcare reform bill yesterday. Much of this policy is decided at the federal level, but we’re monitoring these possible changes closely. We want to bring Minnesota back to a national leader in healthcare. We used to be a model for other states, and would like to return to that standard.
If you have questions, please give me a call or email my office.
Enjoy the warm weather,
Keith