Legislative Update - March 28, 2025
Dear Neighbors,
Earlier this week, I was proud to present a House Resolution honoring the Minnesota Frost for their historic victory in the inaugural Walter Cup PWHL Championship last season. Getting to meet ten team members and some of the team staff (including Coach Klee) was definitely a highlight as my family and I have been big Minnesota Frost fans from the first puck drop in January of 2024!
March is Women's History Month, and I couldn't think of a better time to celebrate the Minnesota Frost's achievement and recognize the history of other Minnesota women's sports teams like the Lynx and the University of Minnesota Women's Hockey team that have made our state so proud!
This morning, I joined Rich and Ryan in the Morning in-studio on KYMN to talk about the start of the budget-building process, bills I presented in committee, and attending a rally alongside our union friends at MAPE and AFCSME to talk about the importance of flexibility in working remote and retaining top-tier talent from all across our state, not just those who can afford to take the time to drive into the metro. Take a listen to the full interview here.
Local Bills for Bonding Projects
This week, I presented two bills to the Capital Investment Committee, directly helping our district and region! First, I presented a bill funding public infrastructure improvements to an Affordable Housing Community in Bridgewater Township, including well and wastewater infrastructure as well as roads. Township Supervisor Castore joined me on the stand for that bill presentation.
Then, I presented a bipartisan bill co-authored with Republican Representative Terry Stier who represents the LeSueur County half of New Prague to fund renovations, improvements, and construction of a Public Safety Center in New Prague. We were also joined by City Administrator Tetzlaff and Police Chief Applen, who testified in support of the bill.
As I saw firsthand while touring the public safety center earlier this year, we need to make these investments to ensure our residents continue to get the police, fire, and ambulance services they deserve.
Both bills will be considered for inclusion in a bonding bill later this session, which requires bipartisan support in both chambers. I’ll continue to advocate for bills like these that strengthen our local communities in District 58A!
Prescription Drug Affordability
As a member of the Health Committee, I’m dedicated to fighting for a more accessible and affordable health care system to keep our families, children, and seniors healthy.
For too long, drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and health plans have taken advantage of flaws in federal drug policy to squeeze consumers for ever-increasing amounts of profit. I’m happy to say the DFL is pushing three bills specifically crafted to target the strategies keeping cheap and affordable drugs out of the hands of Minnesotans:
- HF 1652 would prohibit a health plan from forcing patients to switch drugs in the middle of the year because they’re now getting a bigger rebate from the manufacturer of a competitive drug. If a patient and a doctor find a drug that works, they should be allowed to stick with that drug for the rest of the plan year.
- HF 1075 says that health plans and PBMs must use the rebates that they received when patients bought their drug to buy down their price at the pharmacy counter in the form of a “Point of Sale Rebate.” This will ensure these rebates are being used to make expensive life-saving drugs more affordable to the patients who need them.
- HF 1076 is an innovative approach not yet adopted by any other state. It requires PBMs and health plans to include the low-price drugs in their formularies and construct their formularies so that the drugs with the lowest prices for the patient (rather than the drug generating the biggest rebates to the insurance company) receive the best placement in their formularies. The goal of this legislation is to redirect competition away from rebates towards lower prices.
If these were passed into law, you would see a significant decrease in the price of the drugs you rely on. I’ll be sure to keep pushing for their passage and let you know of any progress!
Stay Connected!
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