Dear Neighbors,

On January 5, I took the oath of office to begin a new term serving Rochester in the Minnesota House. In the 2021-22 legislative session I am continuing my leadership role in the health care area as chair of the House Health Finance & Policy Committee. I also serve on the Ways and Means, Human Services, and Judiciary committees, and as an ex-officio member of the new Preventative Health Policy Division.

House DFL Session Priorities

All Minnesotans deserve the tools to survive the COVID crisis and have the opportunity to succeed and thrive once it is behind us. Last week, House DFLers unveiled our first legislative priorities for the session, focusing on some of our most urgent COVID-19 related needs and to help Minnesotans who are struggling.

Within this agenda, I am carrying legislation to protect vulnerable Minnesotans who live and work in long-term care settings. Many of our long-term care facilities continue to struggle with COVID, and the risk for residents and staff remains high. Even though they are receiving the vaccine, the pace of distribution isn’t quick enough to solve the problem at once. Resources are still needed to support testing and vaccination, as well as emergency strategies to address the staffing crises many facilities are experiencing as employees take time off to isolate or to care for a family member in isolation for COVID.

You can watch our press conference announcing these priorities here.

Vaccine Distribution

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota IT Services launched a new dashboard to detail the progress of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Minnesota, which is occurring in phases. The dashboard includes the number of vaccine doses allocated to the state by the federal government, the number shipped to Minnesota providers, and the number ultimately administered to Minnesotans. The dashboard will be updated daily at 11 a.m.

Right now, the vaccine supply is extremely limited. While the current federal administration has instructed states to begin making it available to new categories of people, states haven’t received the vaccine in adequate supplies. Tomorrow, I will chair a hearing of the House Health Finance and Policy Committee on this topic. We hope the federal government will soon provide Minnesota more doses at a faster pace.

Stay Connected

This session, much of our legislative work will be done remotely as a result of COVID-19 safety protocols. House floor sessions and committee hearings will be livestreamed on the House YouTube channel. Public TV’s Minnesota Channel also broadcasts House and Senate coverage each day available over the air on channel 15-4. Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication.

Please contact me with your questions, comments, and concerns.  Let me know if I can assist you in any way.  Thank you for the privilege of representing you in St. Paul.

Warmly,

Tina