Senate Republicans Outline Health and Human Services Bill

Senate Republicans held a press conference Monday, April 3, to outline the pending health and human services bill, which provides $2.2 billion dollars in additional spending over the current budget period, but falls about $335 million dollars below current service demands.

The bill would spend about $14 billion dollars over the two-year budget period, beginning July 1, 2017. Among the many provisions, the bill adds funding to programs designed to assist people with disabilities to live independently, provide caring for the elderly and curb poverty for at-risks kids.

To assist low income working families, the measure offers benefit increases for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). It also would support efforts to fight sex trafficking and opioid addiction.

The Senate established a new committee to examine aging and long-term care problems confronting Minnesota. To that end, the bill attempts to strengthen elderly abuse investigations and creates a new palliative care council.

Other expenditures would offer safe emergency housing for sexually exploited youth; provide evidence-based nurse home visiting for first-time mothers to increase the likelihood of children reading by 3rd grade; and increasing pay for personal care attendants caring for the severely disabled.