Dear Neighbors, The state boys and girls state basketball tournaments have wrapped up, and the Iron Range was well represented. I could not be more proud of Rock Ridge, Mountain Iron-Buhl, and the Cherry boys basketball team for bringing home a state title to the Range! This team's journey is such a powerful story of resilience and determination. A special shoutout to Isaac Asuma who is an incredible leader both on and off the court. He makes everyone around him better and I can't wait to see him wear the maroon and gold as a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Here in Saint Paul, I’m continuing my work to invest in our communities, support middle-class families, and help create economic opportunity on the Iron Range and across the state. For more frequent updates from the Capitol, I invite you to follow my Facebook page if you don’t already do so.  State BudgetOfficials from Minnesota Management and Budget recently announced a new economic forecast showing a $3.715 billion surplus for the current biennium, an increase of $1.324 billion compared to November projections. The forecast shows Minnesota’s economy to be growing and our budget outlook to be stable over the long term. Overall, we have our state on the right path, but despite the size of this surplus, we have to recognize working families and many communities, particularly in rural areas, are still facing challenges. Earlier this week, Governor Walz along with House and Senate leadership agreed to a budget outline for the rest of the session. This supplemental budget (lawmakers set a full two-year state budget last year) would invest $447.5 million of the surplus to tackle some of our most pressing needs (including those mentioned below) while keeping the bulk of the money on the bottom line so we can maintain our state’s strong financial outlook into the future. House committees will work to hammer out the specifics in the coming weeks. Supporting our Ambulance ServicesI had the honor to serve on the Legislature’s Emergency Medical Services Task Force where we traveled the state and worked – in a bipartisan fashion – to listen closely to local leaders who talked about the crisis their ambulance services are facing. Many services are struggling to stay afloat due to a broken reimbursement model, an aging population, and fewer and fewer volunteers. I’m the chief author of legislation to invest $122.5 million in emergency aid to these critical services in every corner of the state. The bill received its latest public hearing yesterday. Check out my comments where I lay out the problem and the solutions we need. Our joint budget agreement includes $16 million in emergency aid for our EMS providers. This is a good start, but we still have more work to do to secure the funding and reforms we need to improve rural ambulance services in our communities. Building a Sustainable ATV Trail System ATV riding is a great way to get out and experience our state’s unmatched natural resources. As more and more people take up the pastime, folks should expect plentiful, quality trails across Minnesota. This week I presented a bill to dedicate $1.5 million on a one time basis to ATV trails this year, and invest an additional $200,000 annually thereafter. The bill includes an additional $1.2 million for expansion of the Prospector Loop ATV trail system. When COVID emerged, Minnesotans looked to the outdoors for recreational pursuits, and ATV trail usage increased significantly. Meanwhile, trail maintenance fell behind. This funding is critical to developing and maintaining a sustainable ATV trail system, and will benefit riders across the Range and other areas of our state while giving a big boost to our tourism industry. I want to thank all of the volunteers from our state’s ATV clubs who work incredibly hard – on their own time – on these trails! Fighting for Rural HospitalsThe 340B Drug Program was enacted by Congress in 1992 to ensure health care providers have access to discounted drugs and can offer comprehensive services to the most vulnerable patients and communities, including emergency room care, intensive care, mental and behavioral health services in rural areas. Unfortunately, for about the past four years, pharmaceutical companies have been denying these discounts to hospitals despite this law. The 340B program was established to extend a lifeline for health care to our most vulnerable communities, not to pad the pockets of Big Pharma. I recently presented a bill to the House Commerce Committee to prohibit these discriminatory practices that harm hospitals and other health care providers. Here are my comments from the hearing which highlight the urgency of taking action at the state level. This issue comes down to a simple question: should 340B savings go to local hospitals operating on razor-thin margins on the verge of closing – mostly in Greater Minnesota – that provide care to people 24/7, or drug manufacturers that are making billions of dollars in record profits? For me and the folks in northern Minnesota I represent, it’s not a difficult answer, and I’ll stand with my rural hospitals and the people they serve every single day. I hope you’ll reach out to me to share your input and ideas. Email me at rep.dave.lislegard@house.mn.gov or call me at 651-296-0170. It’s my honor to have the opportunity to represent the Iron Range at the State Capitol. Best wishes for a Happy Easter to you and your family! Sincerely, Dave Lislegard
State Representative |