Capitol Report: Medical Assistance Work Requirement, Cameras in Courtrooms

Last month, Republican lawmakers proposed a bill that would require able-bodied Medical Assistance recipients between the ages of 18 and 60 to work at least eighty hours per month to retain eligibility for the program. Medical Assistance is Minnesota’s health care program for low income people. The Senate bill’s author, Senator Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, and Senator John Marty, DFL-Roseville, speak with Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke about their views on the issue.

Minnesota is among the strictest states when it comes to cameras in courtrooms and the state legislature may take action this session to further restrict access. Under current law, if all parties agree prior to the commencement of criminal proceedings, cameras are allowed in court, but this rarely happens. In 2015, the Minnesota Supreme Court began a pilot project allowing cameras during sentencing in criminal court with only the judge’s permission. Senator Jerry Relph, R-St. Cloud, believes this move is the “nose under the tent” and has authored a bill to prevent an expansion of filming court proceedings.