Dear Neighbors,
I hope you all are having a good week! Now that we just finished our sixth week at the Capitol, we’ve seen a lot of progress on several bipartisan proposals. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with several constituents, and many of my bills have made important steps forward in the house. Here are some of the updates:
Prescription Drugs
As I have said before, making health care more affordable is my commitment to you. My bill to remove the pharmacist “gag” rule received a public hearing in the Health and Human Services Committee last week. This practice prevents health insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) from creating policies to keep pharmacists from informing patients when they can purchase their prescription off-the-shelf or out-of-pocket for less than their co-pay. |
|
The bill passed through the Health and Human Services Policy Committee, and will continue onto the next committee soon. I will make sure to update you on any additional news with this bill.
Tax Legislation & Filing Season
I’ve co-sponsored legislation that would increase the standard deduction for senior citizens on social security. HF 1032 would equal the level playing field for couples filing jointly.
I have also been receiving some questions from members of the community about the 2019 tax season, and I’d like to address some concerns. This year is especially confusing since there were several federal tax changes that went into effect recently. However, the good news is that the Minnesota Department of Revenue has updated its forms to reflect current Minnesota law regardless of the changes, so you should feel comfortable filing your state taxes at any point during this filing season.
Although no changes will be made for the state taxes this year, going forward I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft legislation to make taxes fair for all hard-working Minnesotans.
Visitors
Since I last updated you, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with state experts in IT, as well as several constituents. One of my favorite constituent meetings was last week when Athena and her mom Sarina visited! |
|
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions, concerns, or plan to stop by for a visit. You can reach me by email at rep.kristin.bahner@house.mn and phone at 651-296-5502.
Sincerely,
Kristin Bahner
State Representative |
|
|