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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Nels Pierson (R)

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Legislative Update (Jan. 13, 2017)

Friday, January 13, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

Before the weekend, here’s a short update from St. Paul:

Healthcare Reform

When rates for the individual insurance market were released in October, Minnesotans were rightfully outraged. Families were seeing upwards of 60% increases with unaffordable premiums and sky-high deductibles. As Republicans maintained the majority in the House of Representatives, it was our goal to fix a problem Democrats created by providing fast premium relief and common-sense reform. Unfortunately, the other side of the aisle would rather play politics than lend a helping hand to struggling Minnesotans.

You may remember from last week, House Republicans pushed to bring a bill to the floor to provide $300 million in premium relief for those on the individual insurance market, as well as bring needed reforms to our healthcare system. We tried to declare an emergency to pass the bill, but Democrats blocked the action. The Senate passed their version of the bill yesterday, and we should have ours back to the House floor next week. Despite Democrats dragging their feet on an important issue, we’ll soon pass a premium relief bill in the House.

Authoring Bills

This session, I’ve co-authored five bills and am working on submitting more in the near future. I co-authored the $22 million tax cut bill we passed last week, and I’m pleased to say it was passed by the Senate, and the Governor signed it into law earlier today. I can always use more ideas for bills, and encourage you to contact me if you have a suggestion for legislation.

WinterFest

You probably already have it on your calendar, but I wanted to remind you that Rochester’s WinterFest is fast-approaching. The 18-day event starts on January 26 and runs until February 12. With skating, sledding, ice fishing, a polar plunge, and dozens of other winter events, it’s a perfect time to get the family outside this winter and enjoy our area. If you need more information on times and events, please click here.

Please Contact Me

Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts on the issues that come up before committee and on the House floor; I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me via phone at (651) 296-4378 or via email at rep.nels.pierson@house.mn.

Have a great weekend,

House Image

Nels