|
Dear Neighbors,
Spring has sprung! I hope this finds you and yours well and with opportunities to enjoy the blooming trees and flowers, and all of nature’s springtime blessings. I have spent some time this week after session planting flowers and getting the garden projects off to a good start. My June Plum is potted and I have a Clementine tree on the way.
As the weekend approaches, spring evokes memories for me of my trips to Fort Snelling to pay tribute to my beloved grandmother and my grandfather Harold Anthony Bahner Sr. who served in WWII. As a third-generation railroad man and union treasurer, he was a good man of strong character that passed in a tragic accident before I was born. My grandmother, a strong Christian woman, was the rock that carried his memory forward, insisting I have a good, solid college education and serve my community to the fullest of my ability. Not only have I had the privilege to serve my community doing what I love fighting for -- hard working families and seniors-- I am blessed beyond measure to have strong family roots, a marine who has returned home after service to our country, and a mission to honor the everyday heroes all around us. May the holiday bring you fond memories and the opportunity to honor those who have served and those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.
Here’s an update on the end of the legislative session, which adjourned on May 18.
Amid the emergence of a global pandemic, the Minnesota House of Representatives became one of the first state legislatures to enact swift, safe, and remote voting procedures. These measures allowed us to continue our work to deliver bipartisan emergency funding for public health, resources for health care workers, aid for childcare, housing and food security measures, small business assistance and more. We also worked quickly to ensure frontline first responders receive workers’ compensation benefits should they contract COVID-19.
The governor has also signed into law significant non-COVID-19 legislation such as the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act, the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act, Tobacco 21 legislation to prevent youth smoking, and a bipartisan bill to protect the safety and security of elections.
I’m also pleased to share that another bill I’ve co-sponsored made it across the finish line in the final hours of session. For decades -- since I worked with seniors guiding them on how to get authorization of drugs that they badly needed-- I swore that one day I would fight for people as if they were my own family. This bill fulfills that promise. The “prior authorization bill” will help cut administrative red tape, expedite needed care, and allow health care providers to put more effort and energy toward patient care ultimately putting the care back in healthcare. It passed with wide bipartisan support on a vote of 123-9 and is on its way to the governor’s desk for his signature.
What’s Next?
A jobs and local projects bill did not receive the 3/5 supermajority required for passage, but I am hopeful there will be an agreement in the coming days and weeks. Though we’re not required to pass this bill this year, low interest rates and the need to stimulate Minnesota’s economy make reaching consensus a possibility. Should we reconvene for a June special session, I will continue advocating for the Maple Grove Public Safety Training Facility and Gun Range, and road improvements to 610 and I-94, to be included in a regionally balanced and robust bill that will bring local jobs to our community and beyond.
Save the Date for a Virtual Panel on Health, Wellness, and Democracy!
I hope you can join me and my fellow West Metro legislators for a virtual panel next Saturday, May 30. Our U.S. Congressman Dean Phillips will be joining us to weigh on various topics related to health care, the environment, and elections. We’ll be streaming the live event from my official legislative Facebook page.
|