FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NAMI Minnesota, 1919 University Ave. W., Suite 400, St. Paul, MN 55104 November 11th, 2024 Representative Peter Fischer and Senator Rich Draheim Honored with the Legislator of the Year Award Saint Paul, MN – NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) presented Representative Peter Fischer – District 44A in Maplewood – and Senator Rich Draheim – District 22 in Madison Lake – with The Legislator of the Year Award at its annual conference on November 9th at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The Legislator of the Year Award recognizes legislators who have been leaders and outspoken advocates for people with mental illnesses and their families in the Minnesota Legislature or Congress. Representative Peter Fischer, has represented District 44A for six terms, serves as chair of the Human Services Policy Committee and sits on the Human Services Finance and Health Finance and Policy Committees. Under his leadership, he has consistently collaborated with NAMI Minnesota and the Mental Health Legislative Network to advance policies supporting mental health. "Representative Fischer regularly seeks NAMI Minnesota’s input and has championed several critical bills, including those on voluntary engagement, expanding respite care, increasing rates, enhancing school-linked mental health services, and more," said Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota. "He is a genuine advocate for children and adults with mental illnesses, fighting for change even behind closed doors in conference committees." Senator Rich Draheim, serving District 22 and now in his third term, is a member of the Jobs and Economic Development, Housing and Homeless Prevention, and Finance Committees. He has worked closely with NAMI Minnesota on legislative solutions. "Senator Draheim has consistently supported addressing our workforce shortage, especially in rural Minnesota," Abderholder explained, "And when we raised the issue of people being evicted for calling 911 for a mental health crisis, he bluntly said that's ridiculous and supported our bill to end this practice." According to Abderholden, the human services bill that passed in 2022 was thanks to the joint work of Representative Fischer and Senator Draheim. The bill contained NAMI Minnesota and the Mental Health Legislative Network's work on competency restoration and an additional $92 million to address the needs of Minnesota's mental health system. _______________________________________ About NAMI Minnesota NAMI Minnesota is a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families through its education, support, and advocacy programs. For more information or to arrange an interview, please get in touch with Victor Molina, Marketing and Communications for NAMI Minnesota, at marcomm@namimn.org. |