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.
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm Announces Retirement
November 17, 2022
On November 16, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm announced that she will retire from her position.
She has served as health commissioner under three governors. Her first stint, 1999 to 2003, in the Jesse Ventura administration. Gov. Mark Dayton tapped her for health commissioner in 2018, where she stayed until presently.
Malcolm was among four commissioners who indicated that they would not continue during Gov. Walz’s second term.
In a statement, MMA President Will Nicholson, MD, said: “The MMA thanks Commissioner Jan Malcolm for her many years of service and excellent leadership of the Minnesota Department of Health. Throughout her career, she has steadfastly focused on protecting public health and defining good public health policy. Her steady, transparent, and science-driven guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic has helped Minnesotans fare better than most other states. We wish her the best in her retirement.”
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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
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