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Dear neighbors,
I hope you’re able to enjoy the sunshine and milder temps this weekend. Here’s the latest news from the Legislature:
Streamlining the Replacement Process for Social Security Cards
Unlike the vast majority of Americans, Minnesota residents can’t request a Social Security replacement card online. I’m championing a bill that makes the legal changes necessary to create this service. The Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee held the first hearing for this legislation yesterday. It passed with bipartisan support and is now on its way to another committee.
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was authorized and arrived in Minnesota earlier this week. Since this version of the vaccine only requires a single dose, it will help health officials provide protection to more Minnesotans.
Approximately 13,400 doses of the new vaccine will be available at a new community vaccination event that I helped advocate for. Thanks to a partnership between the state and the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesotans who are 65 years of age or older and health care workers can get vaccinated at the Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) Performance Center in Eagan starting this week. Appointments will be prioritized for seniors who sign up with the state’s Vaccine Connector tool. Local public health officials will notify health care workers who may receive an appointment.
Developing a Better Test for CWD
One of the things that’s made it difficult to manage the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) - a fatal neurological disease that impacts deer and similar species - in Minnesota and across the nation is that diagnostic tests can only be performed on dead animals. Scientists from the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently published the results of a study that measured the efficacy and accuracy of two testing protocols. This moves us one step closer to developing a test that will help halt the spread of CWD and protect our wild white-tailed deer population.
Please feel free to contact me at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or 651-296-6828 if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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