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.
July 25, 2024
MMA Board of Trustee member Dionne Hart, MD, has been named as a trustee to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Board of Trustees. She is the first Mayo Clinic trained female physician and person of color elected to the board.
Hart, a graduate of the Mayo Clinic Psychiatry Residency Program, is also the first Black woman elected to the MMA’s board and to serve as president of the Zumbro Valley Medical Society.
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Dionne Hart, MD |
Hart was recently appointed by the Minnesota Legislature to the Priority Admission Review Panel, which will evaluate the 48-hour timeline required under Minnesota statute, propose legislative amendments, and review the effectiveness of the new proposed framework created in the amendment to the priority admission law in 2024.
As an APA trustee, Hart’s priorities will include expanding access to mental healthcare for underserved patient populations including rural, minoritized, and justice-involved communities throughout the nation.
February 19, 2026
State lawmakers returned to St. Paul on February 17 for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.
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).
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.