Celebrating the Mental Health Funding Package, Addressing Gun Violence

Governor Tim Walz, surrounded by lawmakers, physicians and mental health advocates, held a ceremonial bill signing Thursday, June 7, at Children’s Minnesota to celebrate a new law that allocates $92.7 million dollars to improve mental health, of which $60 million will be used to increase hospital bed capacity, recruit mental health professionals and supplement other mental health services.

Following the event, several key Senate lawmakers - Senator Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, chief author of the bill, Senator Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview, Senator Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, chair of the Senate Human Services Reform Committee, and Senator Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, chair of the Senate Finance Committee - spoke with Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke about the importance of the new mental health package.

In the aftermath of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, Senate DFLers called a press conference Thursday, June 7, to assert that gun reform legislation should be included if a special session is called. Senator Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, joins Shannon to talk about some of the gun violence prevention measures proposed by the Senate DFL.