Week 19 Saturday May 18th
Honored to have Presided over the Senate During Floor Session
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are in the last few days of session now. Negotiations are still ongoing over the final budget for the next two years. The leadership in the House, Senate and the Governor have been meeting regularly to create a budget that works for all Minnesota.
While their talks continue we have moved some important legislation this week that I’ll summarize below. I’ll be at the Capitol all weekend serving you so keep an eye on the news and I will keep you posted as I can.
Sincerely,
John
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If you want to see if Floor Session is happening and watch along, click the link below!
Senior Care
After two years of contentious deliberations a deal has finally been made on a package of legislation to protect Minnesota Seniors. I have served on the family care and aging committee where we worked on this legislation repeatedly to fine tune it into what it has become. Below are a few of the prominent and most important pieces of this legislation:
Assisted living facilities will finally be licensed regulated properly. Minnesota is the last state in the nation to make Assisted living facilities require a license. With licensing will come a required minimum standard of care.
This legislation also creates safeguards for the more than 80,000 individuals living in Senior Care. Residents can opt to use surveillance cameras so that their family can monitor their condition and report any abuse. Any report made with this evidence can not be used to retaliate against the resident or their family.
This expansive deal is expected to pass this session and would be the largest expansion of protections for Minnesota Seniors in generations.
Pharmacy Benefit Managers
The bill requires PBMs to be licensed and includes strong reporting and transparency requirements.
The bill first requires them to have a license to operate in Minnesota by Jan. 1, 2020, regulated by the Department of Commerce.
The Transparency piece is extensive. It requires such things as disclosing aggregate costs of different drug categories, payments made by the PBM to pharmacies owned by them as well as agreements with manufacturers that require them to exclusively dispense a drug to a plan sponsor’s enrollees.
These are just some of the requirements that will be enacted once officially in law. This will be a positive step in addressing the incredible costs of pharmaceuticals for everyone in Minnesota.
Together with Senator Abeler and Senator Hawj and our SGU Veterans.
It is my greatest honor to represent you the citizens of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids here at our great state capitol. In addition to representing you, I absolutely enjoy it when you come visit.So come on down, reach out and tell me what matters to you so I can continue working on your behalf. You can reach me by email at sen.john.hoffman@senate.mn, phone by 651-296-4154 or just stop by. I am at 95 University Avenue Suite 2231 in the Minnesota Senate Building.
Sincerely,
Senator John Hoffman
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call my office at 651-296-4154 or by e-mail at jhoffman@senate.mn