March 21, 2024
The House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee passed HF 367 (Freiberg, DFL – Minneapolis), a bill that would allow childcare facilities to require that participants meet certain vaccination requirements.
The MMA was among a group of organizations sharing letters of support for the bill. In its letter, the MMA argued that this bill will increase childhood vaccination rates, which have decreased in recent years.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proportion of U.S. kindergartners receiving state-required vaccines — for illnesses such as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and diphtheria — declined from 95% to approximately 93% nationwide,” said the letter signed by MMA President Laurel Ries, MD. “Minnesota’s kindergartners have immunization rates below the national average. According to a report from the Minnesota Department of Health from the 2022-2023 school year, only 89% of kindergarten students entering public school were fully vaccinated. This is an extremely concerning decline. HF 367 aims to reverse that decline. Most childhood vaccinations and boosters occur between 2 months of age and 2 years of age. By removing the non-medical exemption for childcare centers and family childcare programs, the rates of fully vaccinated children in our communities will increase.”
The letter went on to note that there have already been three reported cases of measles in Minnesota this year, a disease once considered eradicated.
Minnesota’s weak vaccination laws have been a primary driver for Minnesota’s lower-than-average vaccination rates. Current Minnesota law allows parents to express a conscientious objection to vaccines for any reason. For many years, the MMA has advocated for the removal of the personal belief exemption altogether.
Legislation on track to passing must be heard in committees in both the House and Senate before the first committee deadline at 5:00 on March 22. The Senate companion bill, SF 610 (Bolden, DFL – Rochester) was already heard in committee earlier this session. The House bill is now also on track to passing, following a party-line committee vote.
July 31, 2025
The MMA has signed on to an AMA letter opposing HR 3164, the “Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act,” in particular because it would allow “pharmacists to perform services that would normally only be authorized and covered if they were furnished by a physician.”
July 31, 2025
Nearly 140,000 Minnesotans will lose their healthcare coverage as a result of President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill, according to a preliminary analysis by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).
July 31, 2025
MMA members are encouraged to cast their vote for MMA’s future leaders as part of the annual MMA leadership election taking place August 1-31.