Dear Friends,
The 2016 legislative session started this week. The Capitol is under renovation so the Senate is meeting in the new Senate Office Building, which could also accommodate the House. Nevertheless, House leadership decided to have the House chamber re-opened so the House could use it in the midst of the construction. In defiance of House rules, Speaker Daudt made unilateral decisions about public and press access. This was one of the subjects debated on the first day. Daudt’s speakership has been marked by demonstrations of disdain for rules—most obviously at the end of the 2015 session when House Republicans passed a large bill without allowing members to read or debate it.
On Wednesday evening I attended the Governor’s State of the State speech, which was held at the University of Minnesota. The governor did a good job of laying out where we are in Minnesota, the challenges we face, and what he would like to see during this session. This session will be the shortest in memory—perhaps the shortest in our state’s history—and observers around the Capitol seem pessimistic that there will be much progress on anything but the bare essentials. Most expect to pass a capital investment bill, although the size of the bill is always a matter of debate and (one hopes) compromise. Another compromise we hope to achieve is on a transportation bill, which our state sorely needs.
Speaking of compromise, my predecessor in office, Representative Dave Bishop, was in the State Office Building today promoting and signing his new book: “Finding Common Ground: The Art of Legislating in an Age of Gridlock.” The book is very well written and will be of interest to anyone who wants an insider’s look at the way laws are made. Dave was a GOP member who spent many years in the minority, yet was quite effective. He tries to demonstrate that partisanship does not have to be a roadblock, and his accomplishments are impressive. I highly recommend the book.
This morning (Friday) I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, President of the Puntland region of Somalia. This Somali leader—who lived in the United States for 30 years—is helping to build a stable and more prosperous Somalia. Among his several messages was one of gratitude to Minnesota for giving comfort and support to thousands of Somalis fleeing 25 years of war and disintegration in their homeland.
Some of the bills I’m introducing this session:
1) A bill to prohibit legislators from becoming lobbyists within one year of leaving the legislature.
2) A bill to create one insurance-rate area for the entire state, instead of the 8 regions we currently have. This would even out rates across the state and recognize that the cost of the world class medical care our state enjoys should not be born only by the people who live close by.
3) A bill creating an emergency 30 day prescription extension for medication necessary to preserve life or health. This came from a constituent who told me that her daughter—who has type I diabetes—came within one day of running out of insulin because the family could not reach their physician for a refill.
4) A bill to establish an educational resource for prescribers to help them get timely, objective, evidence-based information about medications. This resource would focus on drugs that are most subject to fraud, abuse, or gross overuse, often used inappropriately, or associated with the increase in opioid addiction.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or questions.
Have a great weekend!
Tina