Dear Neighbors,
The legislative session is now more than half over. The first committee deadline passed last Friday and we’ll be busy in committee as the final two deadlines approach the next two Fridays. Then we’ll shift to longer floor sessions to debate the two year state budget.
Committee Deadlines
To help folks better understand the process, the nonpartisan House Public Information department put together this video:
Health Insurance
On Monday, the House passed a Republican plan to subsidize insurance companies in the hope that they will reduce premiums for people who buy their own insurance. HF 5 creates a subsidy fund for the companies at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The program would be funded from the Health Care Access Fund, which currently funds MinnesotaCare. Rep. Greg Davids admitted that he doesn’t know the impact of his bill, so he is spending $400 million over the next two years with no guarantee.
House Democrats have proposed two other options to provide health care coverage to a greater number of Minnesotans at a lower cost. One (HF 92) would be a public option to ‘buy-in’ to MinnesotaCare at no cost to taxpayers. The other (HF 358) is the Minnesota Health Plan which would be a universal, single payer plan. With the uncertainty at the federal level, this is the perfect opportunity for Minnesota tackle this issue.
Moms Demand Action
Last week I met with constituents involved with a group called Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action is a national advocacy group working to make our communities safer by implementing common sense gun policies. These policies include common sense legislation such as HF 1669, which would require background checks on all gun purchases, and HF 1605, which would allow law enforcement or family members to seek Gun Violence Protective Orders to remove firearms from individuals who are at significant risk of harming themselves or others.
But instead of these bills to reduce gun violence, we saw two controversial gun bills start to make their way through the committee process. HF 188, the Reckless Carry bill, would end the requirement to first obtain a permit or receive any kind of safety training before being allowed to carry a firearm in public. HF 238, the Shoot First bill, would dramatically expand when it’s legal to shoot and kill someone.
Both bills drew considerable public testimony and media attention, including one testifier who talked about the need kill with impunity and return to lynching (video).
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with comments, questions, and concerns.
Warmly,
Tina
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