Legislative Update: January 31, 2025

Dear Neighbors,

I wanted to give you an update on where the Minnesota House stands.

Like my DFL colleagues, I have been focused on work in our district. However, we hope to collaborate with Republicans soon in St. Paul. Until Republicans agree to honor the will of the voters, I’ll continue working hard in our community. 

Last week, The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the Republicans’ attempted power grab in the Minnesota House was invalid. Therefore, every action they took since January 14th was unconstitutional. At the heart of my quorum denial is the Republicans’ stated desire to try to overturn an election of Brad Tabke, who voters in Shakopee elected, and whose election was certified and affirmed by a court. It would be an appalling and unprecedented abuse of power to throw out an election and disenfranchise the 22,000 Minnesotans who voted in Shakopee in November.

In addition, the voters elected a tied legislature at 67-67. Democrats have made reasonable offers to Republicans, allowing them to run the Minnesota House while there is a temporary vacancy in District 40B. We’re asking to govern under shared power if the House returns to a 67-67 tie after the special election in 40B. 

Below are some highlights of a busy week in our community.

In the Community

According to the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, the number of independently owned pharmacies in Minnesota has dropped from 478 to 156 in the past two decades. St. Paul Corner Drug first opened its doors in the 1920s and has served as a community staple since. 

I joined my colleagues in a discussion with St. Paul Corner Drug on the complexity of Rx reimbursement, the challenges the industry faces, and the impact that closures have on communities. Independent pharmacies are a necessary part of our healthcare system but are struggling due to our broken healthcare systems and the power of Pharmacy Benefit Management companies. The House DFL and I are committed to working with you on improving the system so that it can work better for independent pharmacies.

I’ve spent my legislative career fighting to improve our healthcare system. Together, we’ve made historic progress in improving insurance coverage of biomarker testing, and lessening the burden of medical debt. I met with Emily from the American Cancer Society/Cancer Action Network to talk about legislation that affects people experiencing cancer.

Join me for a virtual Cancer Day on the Hill meeting on February 4 to talk about your experiences and ideas. Email me at rep.liz.reyer@house.mn.gov or my Legislative Assistant Shamat.Abraha@house.mn.gov for the Zoom link.

I joined ISD #197 educators, school staff, and a group of incredible students to learn about the priorities they'd like to see legislators address this session. I agree with our Dakota County public schools: we ought to expand voluntary pre-k further beyond the slots we added last year; increase investments in special education and ELL learning; and ensure our kids have the quality resources to improve their reading skills

I joined my colleague Rep. Virnig at the Dakota County Legislative Forum. We met with county, city, and school district leaders to discuss how we can be partners in accomplishing our county’s top priorities.

Other Updates

This week, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a settlement with Novo Nordisk, securing insulin products for $35 per month for the next five years from the manufacturer - regardless of whether the Minnesotan has insurance.

We’ve been seeing a lot of troubling headlines recently, but this is great news and builds on our work like the new law capping co-pays on insulin and the cost of supplies, as well as the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act and Minnesota’s Insulin Safety Net Program.

Keep in Touch

If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, you can contact me by email at rep.liz.reyer@house.mn.gov or call (651) 296-4128. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Sincerely,  

Liz Reyer  

State Representative