Named to Conference Committee
On Tuesday, I was named to serve on the State Government Finance & Elections Conference Committee. I will continue to serve as a steward of taxpayer dollars and push to for the efficient use of resources.
I also will be a strong voice for bipartisan election reforms to secure our elections and make sure every legal voter is able to cast a ballot and that ballot is properly counted.
Now that the first round of budget bills has passed the House and the final Senate bill was passed on Thursday, conference committees have been or will be formed consisting of members of both the House & Senate. These committees will iron out the differences — since these bills are almost all very different — and will come to a compromise that may earn the support of both bodies of the legislature.
Both the House & Senate must pass identical bills in order for them to go to the governor for his signature.
The legislature must adjourn on May 17 and a budget must be signed into law before July 1 to avoid a government shutdown.
HHS Omnibus Bill
On Monday, the House voted on the House Democrat Health and Human Services Omnibus. This almost 1,000 page bill spends more than $650 million above current levels of funding and continue to expand government-run healthcare, imposing burdensome new mandates that drive up the cost of health care for Minnesota families.
Major issues with the bill include:
- It creates new mandates for insurers and drug companies which will increase the cost of care.
- More mandates and limitations for hospitals which will negatively impact hospitals’ ability to care for and support patients.
- Expands government run healthcare by putting government bureaucrats in charge of drug, dental, and nonemergency medical transport coverage for all public program enrollees.
- Dramatically changes welfare programs by providing less oversight and reporting requirements for those on public programs.
The bill passed without any bipartisan support and like the other radical omnibus bills passed by the House Majority, will not become law without major revisions thanks to the Republican Senate Majority.
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