Greetings,
Today marks the 3rd committee deadline in the legislature. Schedules for lawmakers will now change as committees are generally done meeting for the year, and more House floor activity will take place in order to approve individual bills. The Senate will follow the same game plan, and joint House/Senate conference committees will eventually be called to work out differences on similar bills that are approved by both legislative bodies.
LIQUOR BILL SENT TO GOVERNOR
The House Commerce Committee which I co-chair wrapped up its session work this week. We passed numerous bipartisan proposals that will benefit Minnesota, including the omnibus liquor bill, which was approved by both the House and Senate and has been sent to the governor for his signature. The legislation includes 17 initiatives that help communities across the state. It also includes the “Granny Happy Hour” provision you may have heard about, which allows nursing homes and assisted living facilities to serve wine to their residents without a liquor license.
SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN STALLS
This week, the House Education Finance Committee debated a plan that would have immediately helped schools improve safety and security in their facilities. It included more school safety and mental health funding for all schools statewide, flexible local options for anonymous threat reporting, and student discipline reform to better protect teachers, staff and students. Unfortunately, House Democrats didn’t want to support these common sense proposals. Hopefully we will find common ground soon and help keep our schools safe.
AT LEAST $20 BILLION ALLOCATED IN MINNESOTA TO HIGH-RISK MEDICAID PROGRAMS
This week, a KARE 11 investigation found that $20 billion has been paid in Medicaid reimbursements to the 14 programs in this state that have been identified as high risk for fraud. It’s an unbelievable total that has Minnesotans rightfully outraged. The legislature continues to push for fraud accountability but the administration refuses to engage in serious conversation about fraud prevention and prosecution. Read more here.
MINNESOTA FRAUD SUSPECT ALLOWED TO FLEE COUNTRY
You also may have heard the unbelievable story of Minnesota letting a suspected fraudster leave the country. Abdirashid Said was charged with racketeering in an $11 million Medicaid fraud scam, and later with perjury. At his bail hearing, the judge was warned that he was a flight risk as his family lives in Kenya. Despite this, the judge allowed Said to post a $150,000 bond without surrendering his passport. He proceeded get on a plane and leave the United States and is now a fugitive. Learn more here.
KEEP IN TOUCH
As always, I'm continuing to support constituent needs. Feel free to contact me anytime at rep.tim.odriscoll@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-7808.
Have a good weekend,
Tim