Legislature Starts Monday with Plenty That’s New

January 27, 2022

The Minnesota Legislature reconvenes January 31 with several new pieces in place including leadership, money and districting, but no apparent top issue.  

In the Senate, there will be new leaders for both caucuses - Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) and new Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen (DFL-Edina).  

The Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Finance and Policy Committee will have a new chair in Sen. Paul Utke (R-Park Rapids), who takes over for Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). Benson, who is running for governor, will remain on the committee, but not serve as chair.  

With this being the second year of the biennium, the Legislature is not required to pass a budget. However, there is a record-setting surplus of $7.7 billion, so many proposals are expected to be introduced on how to allocate those funds. The discussions will include how much of the surplus to invest in new spending, how much to return through tax cuts, and how much to leave for next year’s Legislature. In addition to the surplus, the Legislature will work on a bonding bill to fund capital improvement projects throughout the state. Proposals will range from $1 billion to $3.4 billion in new bonding. 

In addition, the Legislature is required to pass a bill to redraw legislative district lines to adjust to population changes from the recent census. For more than 50 years, the Legislature has been unable to reach agreement on this every-10-year requirement. If the Legislature cannot come to an agreement by February 15, the courts will decide the new districts again. 

MMA Priorities 

This past fall, the MMA Board of Trustees identified five legislative priorities that align with the MMA’s mission to make Minnesota the best place to practice medicine and to make Minnesotans the healthiest in the nation.   

This session, the MMA will again pursue legislation to limit insurers and pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to force a patient to switch from a drug that is working to a different med during their enrollment year. These changes impact patient care and safety, and add significant administrative costs and hassles for physicians and other health providers.  

A second priority is to protect conversations following an adverse event from use in a lawsuit and encourage open discussions with injured patients and their families to improve patient safety. These open discussions are part of an innovative approach called Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR). Through CANDOR patients are immediately involved in addressing adverse events and finding solutions. 

A third priority is to facilitate the establishment of a statewide, electronic registry for Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms. POLST is a signed order that allows patients to indicate the care they want at the end of their life. If a patient has a “do not resuscitate” order, but the emergency room or the EMS provider doesn’t know about it, then the patient’s wishes will not be followed. This registry would ensure that all providers have access to this information. 

The final two priorities support increasing vaccine compliance and reducing firearm death and injury.  Both are important public health efforts that have become highly politicized. With a divided Minnesota Legislature, it is unclear whether either issue will move this year. 

The MMA and its members will advocate for these priorities all session long and particularly at its Day at the Capitol on March 1. This year’s event will again be virtual, beginning with a keynote speaker at noon and followed by individual meetings between 1 and 4 pm. For more information and to register, click here.