Legislative Session Starts; MMA to Focus on 5 Major Issues
February 19, 2026
State lawmakers returned to St. Paul on February 17 for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.
Central MN Members Urge St. Cloud Leaders to Enforce Mask Mandate
January 13, 2022
MMA member Kim Tjaden, MD, and other representatives from CentraCare met with several central Minnesota mayors and policymakers last week to urge them to enforce a six-week mask mandate to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Masking and avoiding public gatherings is the only thing that’s going to help with this particular surge,” Tjaden was quoted as saying by the St. Cloud Times.
Officials representing St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park did not approve of a local mask mandate like the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul did on Jan. 6. Instead, they decided to send a message to residents encouraging them to wear masks indoors, get vaccinated, wash their hands and stay home if they’re sick.
Edina also recently decided against passing mask mandates; Duluth, Golden Valley and Hopkins approved mask mandates this week.
Latest News
MMA Leaders Testify on Medicaid Cuts
February 19, 2026
On the second day of the legislative session, MMA leadership was already advocating for one of its top priorities - minimizing the harm of federal changes to Medical Assistance (MA).
MMA Priority Bill on AI and Prior Auth Already Moving at the Capitol
February 19, 2026
Legislation to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in prior authorization requirements was heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee on February 19.