A legislative update is available in Hmong here, Spanish here, and Somali here.
Neighbors,
The clock is ticking, with little over 48 hours left in the legislative session. The House and Senate are still at odds over our state budget, but we will continue to fight to make sure destructive Senate cuts to 1.5 million Minnesotans' healthcare, and to our schools, do not go through.
While we continue to negotiate a state budget, we've also passed several bills off the House floor.
Bringing down the cost of prescription drugs
This week we passed bipartisan legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.
The legislation will regulate and require transparency from a little-known but powerful part of the healthcare industry, called Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs. PBMs are a middle man between drug manufacturers and patients, and they have the ability and strong incentives to raise drug prices. They've been allowed to raise drug prices with no accountability or transparency, preventing pharmacies from offering lower-cost drugs, taking home giant profits, and leaving patients with the bill.
All Minnesotans deserve the highest standard of healthcare and medication that they can afford. I'm proud that we stood up for Minnesotans who depend on these prescriptions to stay healthy, and took a significant step in reducing the price of prescription drugs. The bill is now on its way to the Governor's desk for signature! Read more about the bill here and here.
Care for Seniors
Last week, we approved a package of strong reforms protecting seniors against abuse, neglect, assault, and other maltreatment in Minnesota assisted living facilities. The House and Senate were able to reconcile differences to finalize a bill to license assisted-living facilities and require them to maintain standards of care. We were the only state in the nation not to license these facilities, and this bill us long overdue. Our seniors deserve the care they need to live with dignity and safety. Read more here.
Let's keep Minnesota in the top 3 best states in the nation. We can only do that by investing in Minnesotans and making sure everyone has a chance to succeed - not by passing tax cuts for those at the very top.
Have a great week, and please continue to reach out to let me know how I can better serve our community.
Sincerely,
Rep. Jay Xiong
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