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- Mental health policy changes and investments continue to receive significant attention at the Legislature. While no bills have yet moved to the Governor’s desk for his approval, mental health has been the focus of many proposals. With the work of setting a biennial budget for the state now in front of legislators, funding for mental health supports will likely be formally considered in the coming weeks. Support for mental health crises teams, suicide prevention, and other proposals have garnered significant support.
- The legislative session has come to its midpoint, and elected officials returned home for the Easter/Passover break. Recent weeks have seen the passage of the policy deadlines that govern which bills remain viable, as well as the announcement of budget targets. These targets serve to set the overall budget figure for the finance committees. The House target includes a cut of $1.1 billion from projected HHS spending, while the Senate matches the Governor’s proposal of an additional $341 million. Finance committees will fashion their budgets in the next weeks, though the large differences in the targets means negotiations between the House Republicans, Senate DFLers, and Governor Dayton will be required to arrive at a final budget.
- Pharmacists will have expanded authority to administer vaccines under bills moving in the House and Senate. Current law allows pharmacists to give influenza vaccinations to patients 10 and over, though the bill would drop the age to six while also allowing them to administer other vaccines to patients 13 and over. Of note, the Senate bill only allows pharmacists to give the second or subsequent immunizations and not the initial vaccination. Both bills also require pharmacists to report to the MIIC.
