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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you all had a good week! It looks like we have finally turned the corner on the weather and it is going to be a beautiful weekend! I hope you are able to get outside and enjoy the spring weather with your friends and family.
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Executive Summary
- House and Human Services Omnibus Bill
- Civility Caucus
- Working Together
- Updates on Road Closures
- Helpful Links
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House and Human Services Omnibus Bill
On Monday the House passed the Health and Human Services Bill. I offered an amendment that would ensure program integrity in the PCA program at DHS. Problems with the PCA program have been well documented in OLA reports going back to 2009. We must account for taxpayer dollars to make sure government serves Minnesotans effectively and efficiently. You can watch my speech on this amendment here.
While I was pleased my amendment was accepted, I could not vote for the final HHS bill. Healthcare needs to be affordable for all Minnesotans. Unfortunately, this bill would only raise the cost of healthcare with more regulations and expand government-run healthcare. It added new regulations on low cost, generic drugs sold in our state and limited how insurers can control drug costs during a plan year. There were new provisions for hospitals, requiring public hearings on private business decisions before changing service offerings. DHS was also put in charge of drug, dental, and nonemergency medical transport coverage for all public program enrollees. The bill also allowed DHS to study how they could provide drug coverage to enrollees in the private market and offer their own insurance product competing in the private market.
Expanding government-run healthcare will not make healthcare more affordable. We need to focus on creating more price transparency, lower drug prices, and choice as the conference committee meets to put together the final bill.
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Civility Caucus
On Monday morning we had our 4th meeting of the Civility Caucus, which I am proud to co-chair with my bicameral, bipartisan co-Chairs, Rep. Heather Edelson (D), Sen. Mark Koran (R), and Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (D).
The Civility Caucus started in 2017 to provide a forum for members of the House and Senate from both parties to get to know each other and build relationships across parties and between the bodies so we can build trust and be more effective in working together. I became the Republican co-chair in 2020 when former Rep. Nick Zerwas stepped down.
Although we really look forward to resuming in-person meetings, we have found a fun formula for our monthly Zoom meetings. Each meeting we start as a group, but then go into small “break-out” rooms. In one "break-out" room we will answer “ice-breaker” questions and get to know one another. Then, we meet in another “break-out” room to talk about issues we care about, bills we are working on, etc.
The first break-out rooms are always fun and surprising, and the second break-out rooms are actually productive. Pre-pandemic, you could walk to someone’s office, see them on the floor, or walk across the Capitol to the Senate to find co-authors, ask questions, or get support for a bill. It is much harder to do this remotely and our break-out rooms gave people the chance to “pitch” their bills to Committee Chairs for hearings, find co-authors, and explain more about what they are trying to accomplish.
At the end, we always have a poll question or two – favorite foods, favorite state parks, favorite movies, etc. This is a great way to get to know one another so we can work together for the good of the state!
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Working Together
Though the House of Representatives has its fair share of policy disagreements, we are able to work together and pass many bills with broad bipartisan support. Yesterday we did just that as we met to take up several pieces of legislation. Three bills even passed 132-0!
The public doesn’t often hear about these bills as they are not the controversial issues – just items necessary for good governance.
The first bill that had unanimous support added Minnesota to a psychology practice compact (PSYPact). This means that licensed Minnesota psychologists would be allowed to practice in other states that are a part of the compact and vice versa. As telehealth becomes more prominent, this is a great way to ensure continuity of care and will allow psychologists to continue serving a patient who moves across state lines without having to get a license in another state.
A second bill that passed 132-0 changes the classification of data for lottery winners so their names stay private unless they provide written consent for their name to be made public. Currently, the name, city, prize amount and purchase location are all public data. This will enable lottery winners to retain their privacy unless they want to disclose it.
The third bill that passed unanimously clarifies updated outdated language for continuing education coordinators and providers. It updated a list of prohibited practices and establishes new requirements for online appraiser courses, including new language regarding evaluations by appraisers and ensuring appraisers receive training on valuation bias.
After two weeks of long hours on the floor debating the large omnibus bills, it was good to come together to pass single-issue legislation that helps all Minnesotans. These single-subject bills are possible, and we should do them more often!
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Updates on Road Closures
This weekend the resurfacing project on westbound I-94 will start. The westbound lanes between the I-94/494/694 interchange in Maple Grove and Hwy 241 in St. Michael will be separated. There will be three lanes of traffic on both eastbound and westbound I-94 during the day, but there will be intermittent nighttime lane closures from Sunday morning, May 2, until September 2021. Find more information about these closures here.
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Helpful Links
Unclaimed Property: I wanted to share this link again this week as someone wrote me last week, that they did, indeed, discover they had unclaimed money after reading about this in my newsletter! It is worth checking out! You can find any Unclaimed Property here.
Rent and Utilities Assistance: Minnesota Housing is now offering COVID-19 emergency assistance for those struggling to pay their rent and utilities. You can learn more about eligibility and how to apply here.
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Photos
My Civility Caucus co-chair Sen. Cwodzinski speaking to the group.
A plaque outside the Senate and Judicial Chambers.
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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 matters to which I can be of assistance.
During the continuing COVID restrictions, the best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked a couple of times/day.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin
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225 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |
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