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Dear Neighbors,
I hope this finds you staying warm- and well!
Our work continues in the Minnesota House. While operating remotely has its challenges, it also has provided expanded opportunities to connect with more people and advocacy groups from the comfort of their home. This week, I had the opportunity to meet with the Minnesota Historical Society, State Auditor Julie Blaha, the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, FairVote Minnesota, the Minnesota Farmers Union, Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell, and the Brain Injury Alliance on a variety of topics that relate to my committee work.
Here’s an update from the Capitol:
Adult-Use Cannabis Introduced
As I’m sure you’ve read or seen in the news, early this week some of my House colleagues introduced legislation that would legalize adult-use cannabis in Minnesota. The legislation would create a regulated cannabis market while addressing concerns around youth access, public health, and road safety. Please know that as I’m reviewing this legislation, I’m carefully considering all these concerns. I think it’s important to weigh the benefits and the risks, especially for our veterans with PTSD, and other Minnesotans with health conditions who have benefited from the medical cannabis program in our state, but cannot continue treatment due to the cost. As always, I welcome your input on this important issue.
Transparency in Health Care Costs
Yesterday, the House Commerce Committee advanced legislation that would require most hospitals, outpatient surgical centers, and medical practices to make available to the public a list of current standard charges for all items and services provided by the medical practice. The idea is to develop and make available to the public, a tool for anyone to use to compare charges for a specific item or service. This is a smart approach to helping drive down costs and promote the transparency in health care pricing Minnesotans deserve. High health care costs are an important issue to Plymouth residents and families, I look forward to seeing this bill continue to move through the committee process.
City of Plymouth Hiring
The City of Plymouth is hiring a full-time Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator. This position partners with the city’s senior leadership team to implement diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and initiatives to create a more inclusive community for all.
Applications are due Feb. 22. The application can be accessed here if you or someone you know in our community might be interested.
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