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Dear Neighbors,
I want to thank everyone who came out to join me for my first “Chat with Kelly” last Sunday at Shore 96. As a legislator, direct engagement with the community is very valuable for me, so I’m grateful for the discussion. As a reminder, I’ll hold these chats the fourth Sunday of each month during the legislative session, so hopefully I’ll see you at 1:30 p.m. on February 25th.
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Gender-Based Violence
Last week was a busy week in the Public Safety Committee where we held Gender-Based Violence Week, consisting of three days of hearings aimed at ending sexual assault and other crimes which deserve a greater level of attention from the Legislature. Some of the bills considered include eliminating the marital rape exception, creating a taskforce to end the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women endemic, creating programming to eliminate domestic violence, and others.
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I presented two bipartisan bills as part of this effort. The first would require law enforcement agencies to create clear policies for the investigation of sexual assaults. This is extremely important because victims and survivors of these crimes have already experienced a great deal of trauma. Their treatment during the course of an investigation should recognize this, and we should ensure they are believed, listened to, and valued, no matter where in the state the crime occurred.
The second would create a working group tasked with rewriting the state’s entire criminal sexual conduct statute. As a prosecutor, I’ve seen cases where due to various loopholes or inconsistencies in statute, victims haven’t had the opportunity to receive justice even though an assault occurred. This will be a heavy lift, but it’s an effort that’s sorely needed.
In case you missed it, I appeared on the TPT’s “Almanac” a week ago Friday to discuss this topic. You can watch the clip here.
Opioid Crisis
This past week the House moved forward with solutions to end the state’s opioid crisis. Communities across the state, especially our tribal communities, are seeking our help to deliver resources to save lives. One bill would create an Opioid Overdose Reduction Pilot Program to help ambulance services implement individualized care plans for individuals who experience overdoses. Another bill, that I’ve co-authored, would create an Opioid Stewardship Advisory Council which would help deliver comprehensive education, prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies. The council would be funded by registration fees from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors which, by and large, have escaped responsibility for helping to solve this crisis, even though they have profited a great deal from it.
In 2016, nearly 400 lives were lost due to overdoses in Minnesota. Not one more family deserves to deal with the heartbreak of losing a loved one, and we have a responsibility to come together and end this crisis.
Pharmaceutical Prices
Another issue gaining a great deal of attention at the State Capitol is the exorbitant cost of prescription medication, especially insulin. Too many people with diabetes have elected to ration their insulin supply due to its high cost which has, in fact, doubled over five years. In some cases, this has led to tragic consequences, and no Minnesotan should ever be forced to make such a decision. I’m co-authoring a bill which would create a temporary supply for those unable to afford their insulin and one for those whose prescriptions are out of date.
While having supplies of medications like insulin is important, it’s also important that we get to the bottom of what’s driving prescription drug prices so high in the first place, and take action to prevent it. Yesterday, the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee will approved a bill to prohibit price gouging in the state of Minnesota, help ensure price transparency, and allow action against manufacturers and distributors found to be taking part in price gouging. As we work to make health care more affordable, ensuring lifesaving medications are within reach of all who need them is a significant piece of this puzzle.
Please continue to contact me with your viewpoints, ideas, and other input. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-0141 or email at rep.kelly.moller@house.mn. It’s an honor to represent you.
Sincerely,
Kelly Moller
State Representative |
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