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January
30,
2017
Hello
again
from
the
Capitol!
Health
took
the
focus
this
week
at
the
Capitol.
First, I
was
at
the
State
of
the
State
when
questions
swirled
about
the
health
of
Governor
Dayton.
He
announced
the
next
day
that
he
was
recently
diagnosed
with
prostate
cancer.
I
send
my
regards
to
Governor
Dayton
as
he
undergoes
treatment
for
prostate
cancer
and
look
forward
to
his
full
recovery.
The
week
ended
with
the
Governor
signing
a
major
health
care
bill
designed
by
Republicans
that
will
deliver
much
needed
aid
and
long-term
reforms.
Health
Care
Update
The
Conference
Committee
worked
hard
to
compromise
on
the
final
language
of
the
Emergency
Aid
and
Access
Act
and
delivered
a
bill
that
was
signed
by
Governor
Dayton
on
Friday.
It
includes
25%
premium
relief
for
Minnesotans
who
buy
health
insurance
on
the
individual
market
and
aid
to
ensure
continuity
of
care
for
patients
suffering
from
serious
illnesses.
Republicans
successfully
negotiated
several
reforms
that
represent
a
first
step
toward
fixing
Minnesota’s
broken
insurance
market.
These
reforms
include:
Consumer
protections
- Early
public
disclosure
of
premium
rates
is
required
by
insurance
companies
- Provisions
to
reduce
surprise
billing
by
prohibiting
in-network
hospitals
or
clinics
from
using
out-of-network
providers
without
prior
notice,
saving
patients
from
huge
surprise
bills
after
they
receive
care
Increased
options
- Allows
for-profit
HMOs
to
offer
insurance
on
the
individual
market
- Small
businesses
have
more
flexibility
to
provide
different
insurance
packages
to
their
employees
Greater
access
- Farmers
can
now
participate
in
lower-cost
group
health
plans
through
agricultural
co-ops
The
Emergency
Aid
and
Access
Act
will
help
thousands
of
Minnesotans
right
away,
while
also
initiating
long-term
changes
that
will
expand
and
stabilize
the
health
care
market.
I
was
proud
to
vote
for
this
bipartisan
bill
and
look
forward
to
continuing
to
participate
in
the
effort
to
reform
our
health
care
system.
Republicans
Lead
on
School
Choice
This
week,
Republicans
presented
a
bipartisan Opportunity
Scholarship
bill
to
the
Committee
on
E-12
Education
Policy.
The
bill
offers
tax
credits
to
low-and-middle
income
families
so
they
can
choose
the
best
school
for
their
children
no
matter
the
cost.
We
want
parents
to
feel
empowered
and
involved
in
every
aspect
of
their
children’s
education
because
they
are
the
ones
that
know
what
is
best
for
their
children
–
not
the
government.
Allowing
families
access
to
all
schools,
instead
of
just
one
assigned
to
them
by
their
zip
code,
opens
up
opportunities
for
children
to
reach
their
full
potential.
It
is
important
to
note
that
this
bill
does
not
pull
any
money
away
from
the
public
education
fund
nor
does
it
threaten
the
integrity
of
Minnesota’s
public
school
system.
Rather,
it
puts
kids
front
and
center.
Opportunity
Scholarships
ensure
students
can
receive
an
educational
experience
that
meets
their
needs.
Governor
Dayton’s
Budget
Proposal
Governor
Dayton
announced
his
budget
on
Tuesday.
He
proposed
a
whopping
10%
increase
in
government
spending.
That’s
just
too
high
for
Minnesota.
Republicans
have
a
common-sense
budget
that
fund
today’s
priorities,
not
legacy
programs.
You
can
expect
to
see
our
announcement
laying
out
a
conservative,
efficient,
and
sustainable
budget
plan
for
Minnesota
soon.
Thank
you
for
reading
this
week’s
newsletter.
Please
feel
free
to
reach
out
to
my
office
with
any
questions,
comments
or
concerns.
Sincerely,
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