July 24, 2025
Turmoil continues to reign at the State Capitol.
On July 21, Sen. Bruce Anderson (R- Buffalo) died unexpectedly and Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) announced that she will resign in August following her burglary and felony possession of burglary tools conviction.
This follows the June 14 assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and the shooting of Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin). Hoffman is currently recovering and is expected to continue serving his district.
Gov. Tim Walz called a special election for Speaker Emerita Hortman’s former seat on September 16. The date has yet to be set for a special election to fill the seats of Anderson and Mitchell.
The special elections could affect the balance of power in St. Paul. Currently, with Anderson’s passing and Mitchell’s pending resignation, the DFL has a one-seat advantage in the Senate, 33-32. Both parties are expected to hold on to their seats, however. With Hortman’s death, the Republicans have a one seat-majority in the House, 67-66.
Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (DFL-Woodbury) is reportedly considering running for Mitchell’s seat. If she does, her House seat will need to be filled with yet another special election.
There have already been three special elections in 2025 thus far: Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis) died of cancer in December; early in the session, Sen. Justin Eichorn (R-Grand Rapids) resigned after he was arrested on felony charges; and the resignation of Representative-elect Curtis Johnson (DFL – Roseville) after being elected to serve in a district in which he did not live.
October 23, 2025
The MMA, along with the University of Minnesota Medical School, will hold a virtual physician forum on November 5 at noon on “Health Professions Education and Minnesota's Rural Health Workforce.”
October 23, 2025
AMA staff have confirmed that, as of October 21, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has guided Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to lift their temporary holds on Medicare fee-for-service claims impacted by provisions that expired on October 1 – including all Medicare fee-for-service claims in Minnesota.
October 23, 2025
For the second time in eight weeks, national grief expert David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, visited Minneapolis. The first trip was days after the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting when he met with school leaders to help with the healing process. He returned October 21 to revisit the school and to meet with local healthcare providers at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to offer tips on dealing with the aftermath of crisis.