Tag: HD49B

Dear Neighbors,

Since last week’s COVID-19 update there have been a few new developments. Minnesota recently surpassed 1 million vaccinations — over 11% of Minnesotans have now been vaccinated. We have all been eager to receive a vaccine as soon as possible, and there are reasons to be optimistic that distribution will continue to expand.

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: February 19, 2021”

Dear Neighbors, 

This edition is devoted to providing practical information about Covid-19 testing and vaccination. Legislators are receiving periodic briefings from the Minnesota Department of Health and I have been spending quite a bit of time trying to obtain vaccinations for my own vulnerable loved ones (so far, unsuccessfully). I’ve picked up a lot of useful information in the process, and I’d like to pass it along.  

COVID-19 Testing 

Saliva Covid-19 Testing is available at Creekside Community Center in Bloomington this week and next: 

Creekside Community Center
9801 Penn Ave South
Bloomington, MN 55431
February 16-20, 22-26  12 – 6 p.m.  
Visit this site to schedule an appointment: mncovidtestingappt.as.me 

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: February 15, 2021”

Dear Neighbors,

Health Care Pricing

Last week, my bills related to Healthcare Pricing Transparency surmounted their first hurdle when all three were passed by the Commerce Committee and referred to the Health Finance and Policy Committee for their consideration. Healthcare is the only thing that we buy where we’re not told the price until after the service is rendered. If my bills pass, you’ll be able to compare the prices charged by different providers for, say, a hip replacement, a lasik eye surgery or an expensive drug infusion, at a one-stop shopping website provided by the Minnesota Department of Health so that you can to build that information into your decision about where to have the procedure performed. The bills are numbered HF 57, 58 and 59. 

I’ve been invited to address the members of the Minnesota Medical Association at their annual legislative luncheon on Wednesday (via Zoom, of course) to discuss these and other healthcare information issues with them. 

Virtual Town Hall

Join Rep. Edelson, Sen. Franzen and I for our first town hall of the 2021 Legislative Session, tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9 at 7-8:30pm. Please RSVP, and submit a question to be asked during the event. We will send out the Zoom link later today. You can join on Zoom or watch it on Facebook live. We look forward to your engagement (and we apologize for last week’s mixup about the date).

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: February 8, 2021”

Virtual Town Hall

Join Rep. Edelson, Sen. Franzen and I in coordination with the League of Women Voters of Edina and LWV of Bloomington for our first town hall of the 2021 Legislative Session Tuesday, February 9 at 7-8:30pm. Please RSVP, and submit a question to be asked during the event. We will send out the Zoom link the day before. You can join on Zoom or watch it on Facebook live. We look forward to your engagement.

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins Update: February 2, 2021”

Dear Neighbors,

President Biden is receiving accolades from across the political spectrum for the call to unity expressed in his inaugural address. Now, the challenge falls to us to put these sentiments into action. As was the case last session, most of the bills I have introduced, so far, have Republican authors in the Senate and that will continue to be the case for the remainder of this session. With the only divided legislature in the country, working across the aisle is the only way that we’re going to accomplish anything this session. I will once again be a member of the Legislature’s bi-partisan “Civility Caucus”, which brings Democrats and Republicans together to find common ground and forge constructive working relationships. Republican Senators such as Sen. John Jasinski, who I met through the Civility Caucus, and Sen Rich Draheim, who I work with on healthcare pricing transparency and housing affordability legislation have become regular partners in my work. 

Virtual Town Hall

Join Rep. Edelson, Sen. Franzen and I for our first town hall of the 2021 Legislative Session Tuesday, February 9 at 7-8:30pm. Please RSVP, and submit a question to be asked during the event. We will send out the Zoom link the day before. You can join on Zoom or watch it on Facebook live. We look forward to your engagement.

Vaccine Pilot Program Launches

Last week, Minnesota rolled out a pilot program which established new vaccination sites at nine locations around the state. Individuals who are 65 years of age or older, as well as school staff and child care workers (who have been notified by their employer if they’re eligible), can now make appointments to receive the vaccine at one of these sites. Additional sites will be established as more vaccines become available and, at some point, we can expect that there will be a community vaccination center in southern Hennepin County. 

Setting the age limit at 65, instead of 75, was in response to a new CDC guideline which created a broad expectation that the vaccine should be made available to anyone 65 or older. However, the federal government has nowhere near enough vaccines to cover everyone in that expanded age group, plus teachers, who are in the same priority group. Predictably, when the appointment line for this program opened up last Tuesday, it was, in the Governor’s words, “like trying to get tickets to a Springsteen concert on Ticketmaster the instant that they go on sale”. I understand that this process was frustrating, with some people spending hours on the phone or internet trying to get through. But as a test rollout, this program is meant to show the state what works and what doesn’t so they can create a better system when we receive more vaccines.

If you fall into one of these groups, the next round of appointments will open up at noon, tomorrow, Tuesday, January 26 and, this week, the process is being significantly improved: Everyone who is eligible will have 24 hours to register for a vaccine lottery and the “winners” will be notified the next day. No need to frantically dial in. You can book appointments online here, or by phone at 612-426-7230 or toll free at 833-431-2053. 

When vaccines become more widely available, most of us will eventually be vaccinated at our regular doctor’s offices or pharmacies, the way that we would receive any other vaccine. 

Vaccination Dashboard

I’m hearing much consternation about the fact that Minnesota’s rate of vaccine administration stats appear to be middling, at best. We always expect to be “above average”. Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials attribute this to several factors:

• The count of doses “allocated” to each state doesn’t reflect the actual number of doses that have been received by each State, which is quite a bit lower.
• There is up to a 72 hour lag between the time of the vaccination and its reporting to MDH.
• The national pharmacies that have been contracted to administer the vaccine at nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been slow to ramp up.
• At some health care facilities and senior housing locations, from 15-25% of the staff have refused to be vaccinated, which is alarming.
• The state has been holding enough doses in reserve to be able to administer the necessary second dose to front line health care workers and senior care residents and workers. The Federal government told states to go ahead and administer these doses to additional seniors and teachers and promised to backfill these doses out of a federal reserve — which turned out to be non-existent. As a result, the State has had to maintain its own reserve of second doses. 

The State has established a vaccination dashboard where you can track our progress, which you can find, here: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/index.jsp

Legislative Priorities for the House DFL

Last week, we rolled out the House DFL’s initial legislative priorities for this year’s session, with a focus on getting Minnesota through this pandemic and ensuring that we have the resources necessary to bounce back. While protecting and investing in economic security, worker protections, education, child care, and health and human services are crucial components for Minnesotans, we’re diligently working within all policy areas to build a better state.

Keep in Touch 

Now more than ever, please contact me anytime with questions, input, or ideas. Don’t hesitate to reach out if I can provide any assistance. Please follow me on my Facebook page for further updates and invite your friends and family to do so as well.  

Thanks for the honor of representing you at the Capitol. 

Sincerely, 

Steve Elkins 
Representative, District 49B 
Minnesota House of Representatives 
515 State Office Building 
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. 
St. Paul, MN 55155 
(651) 296-7803

Dear Neighbors,

Even though it has felt like we have been in a perpetual session for the past year, this week is the official beginning of the 2021 session. I am honored to return to the Capitol where I will continue to advocate for your needs. COVID-19 will continue to play a significant role in how we approach legislating this year, and while we are a split legislature once more I am hopeful that we will be able to accomplish a lot of good.

I am truly heartbroken by the wave of mob violence and destruction at our nation’s Capitol. Violence is never an answer, and the rhetoric and misinformation that leads to this kind of violence should be condemned as well. On a positive note, I am confident in our institutions here in Minnesota and I know that we will be able to govern safely, with respect and decency. 

Walz Announces New Covid-19 Protocols

Thanks to your collective sacrifice and willingness to dial back during the holidays, Minnesota has seen a sharp drop in the amount of Covid-19 cases. As a result, Governor Walz announced last week that several restrictions on certain activities and sectors will be loosened. While this is certainly encouraging news, please remember that an open Minnesota is a privilege and one we must all work for. Please continue to mask up, get tested, stay home when sick, and avoid large gatherings of people from separate households. Here are the new rules:

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: January 11, 2021”

Dear Neighbors,

House Passes New Covid-19 Economic Assistance Package

Yesterday, we met for our 7th special session of the year to pass an assistance package that will help our most vulnerable neighbors, and local businesses stay afloat during this ongoing crisis. The DFL led the way in designing this package and had to fight hard for this aid, particularly the unemployment aid extension. True to our bipartisan nature we managed to find a path that works for both sides of the aisle while also being a victory for our entire state.Here are a few of the key pieces of the Covid-19 Economic Assistance Package:

1. Extend Unemployment Benefits: Provides up to 13 additional weeks in unemployment benefits for MN workers who have exhausted all federal and state benefits. There are an estimated 100,000 MN workers who could qualify for this extension, showing how needed this extension is.
2. Business Assistance Grants: Provides $216.5 million from the General Fund in grants to restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and many other entities directly affected by the executive orders and the pandemic. It is estimated that these grants will be able to assist over 6,000 businesses that have been hurt by Covid-19.
3. Certain Fees Waived for Hospitality Industry: This is another straight-forward practical action we can take to help ease the financial burden our local businesses are facing. While this is a smaller portion of the total relief, it should go a long way towards helping these vulnerable businesses.

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: December 15, 2020”

Dear Neighbors,

New Budget Forecast

Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) announced the November Economic Forecast, projecting a $641 million surplus for the current budget cycle, while a deficit of $1.273 billion is projected for the 2022-2023 biennium beginning July 1. 

This economic projection shows that Minnesota is well positioned to provide immediate economic aid to workers and small businesses. There have been clear winners and losers of the Covid economy and it is our job at the Legislature to ensure that those who have been hardest hit are able to survive this ongoing crisis. We will continue to push for a new economic package that will help those Minnesotans and businesses that are hurting the most. 

Minnesota Pledge to Defeat COVID-19   

In Minnesota, we care for our families, front-line health care workers and small businesses. We recognize we all play a role in limiting the spread of COVID-19. We commit to the following personal choices to help protect all of us and hope you will join in this commitment. Together, we can defeat COVID-19 and emerge stronger. We will:

Continue reading “Rep. Steve Elkins (HD49B) Update: December 1, 2020”