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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Kristin Bahner (DFL)

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Legislative Update- March 29, 2019

Friday, March 29, 2019
Dear Neighbors,
 
We are now over halfway through the legislative session, and time is flying by at the Capitol! Here are a few updates from this week:
 

Thank you

First I’d like to thank everyone who attended and participated in our town hall meeting last weekend! We had a great turn out and I appreciated all of the thoughtful questions and feedback. Stay tuned for another opportunity in the near future!

Comprehensive Plan to Make Prescription Drugs More Affordable and Accessible

On Tuesday, I stood with my colleagues to speak about some of the bills we are working on to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible. The bill that I’m sponsoring would allow pharmacists to refill medication on an emergency basis. This legislation, along with several others, could save many lives. A fact sheet with more information about each bill in the plan is available here.
 
Across the country, Americans are facing a prescription drug pricing crisis. Nearly one in four adults in the U.S. struggle to afford their prescription drugs, forcing patients to make impossible choices. According to a recent report, 30 percent of Minnesotans say they have not taken their medicine as prescribed due to costs, or have reported skipping doses, cutting pills in half, substituting with over-the-counter drugs, or not filling a prescription in the past year. Minnesotans need and deserve better.
 

House File 2069

My bipartisan legislation has cleared two House committees this week. HF 2069 would establish a task force to study the increase in individuals deemed unfit to stand trial. The goal of this task force is to find better solutions to help these populations in a more productive way than incarceration.
 

I-94 noise wall voting results are in!

As a result of recent voting that took place, the I-94 Maple Grove to Clearwater noise wall project will soon begin! Crews will build all four noise walls in Maple Grove and the wall in Monticello. I know many members of the community have disliked the loud noise that the highway generates, so I am looking forward to see how this project turns out.
 
For more information about the noise wall voting results, please visit the I-94 Maple Grove to Clearwater noise walls website: mndot.gov/i94-mg-clearwater/noise.html
 
To learn more about the project in general, visit the I-94 Maple Grove to Clearwater project website at: mndot.gov/i94-mg-clearwater.
 

Capitol Visitors

One of my favorite visitors from our community this week was from the Minnesota Ambulance Association. We had a great conversation about the Bloomington Rescue Squad, where my grandfather was one of the original members.
 

Keep in Touch

Please feel free to reach out to my office at any time, with any questions, comments, or feedback. Your input helps shape my work for our communities at the Capitol.
                                                          
Sincerely,
Kristin Bahner
State Representative