Politics (Page 9)

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In: Politics

Ok, in a few short weeks, Minnesotans and Wisconites will have an answer to the question of which state has the better football team, but the debate over which state has a better jobs and overall business climate is already ongoing.

Credit Minnesota representative Joe Atkins with trying to answer this question definitively.  Atkins said the discussion has contained far too much exaggeration on both sides of the border, and he convened a hearing of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection, Finance, and Policy Committee.

The facts are, Minnesota’s jobless rate is 5.3 percent, Wisconsin’s is 7.1 percent (source).
… Read more about: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: who’s winning the jobs battle?  »

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In: Affordable Care Act, Politics

Congressman Keith Ellison invites you to a meeting to discuss the Affordable Care Act

THE NEW FEDERAL HEALTH CARE LAW:
HOW IT WILL AFFECT YOU

Learn how the Affordable Care Act may affect you and your family, how to navigate the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange and benefit from the new law.  Congressman Ellison will be joined by MNsure & Rep. Debra Hilstrom

Wednesday – September 4, 2013

6:00 – 8:00 PM

Brooklyn Center High School
6500 Humboldt Avenue North, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

If you have any questions about this event, please call (612) 522-1212.
… Read more about: Affordable Care Act Forum  »

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In: Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

Linda-Hamilton_1

By Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

It’s a great day for workers. With one fight won at the linen workers union Local 150 and one fight not won, YET. After a strike that lasted only one day the workers who launder our hospital scrubs and linens successfully secured their pensions and restored sick time benefits the management sought to steal from their workers.   President Jean Ross joined MNA leaders as well as Speaker of the Minnesota House Paul Thissen and Minnesota Senator Tom Bakk to rally together with many unions to support the striking LIUNA laborers at Cretex as they also fight for to keep their pension, affordable health care and a safe workplace.
… Read more about: MNA Nurses support LIUNA Local 563 at Cretex Rally  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics

Minnesota lawmakers met at the Capitol on Tuesday to discuss ways to combat the spread of synthetic drug abuse that his hit Duluth, Hibbing, and other places spread wide across the state.  The newly-formed “Select Committee on Controlled Substances and Synthetic Drugs” created by House Speaker Paul Thissen and headed by Duluth State Representative Erik Simonson is charged with holding hearings across the state and reporting back to the legislature by February 25th with recommendations.

Unlike traditionally banned drugs, manufacturers of synthetic drugs, often referred to as “bath salts,” are continually creating different drug formulas in a response to the banning of chemicals used to make the synthetic substances, which effectively replaces banned chemicals with new ones. 
… Read more about: Synthetic Drug Committee Meets Again  »

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In: Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

The 2013 legislative session ended last week with some significant improvements and changes to policies that affect nursing, health care and working families. In addition, with the change in legislative majorities to DFL control of the House and Senate, we did not have to fight off threats like Right to Work legislation, deep cuts to programs, or the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact.

Safe Staffing

We made major progress toward our goal of minimum standards for nursing care in acute care hospitals. Our bill for a Department of Health study of the correlation between nurse staffing and patient health outcomes was signed into law by Governor Dayton.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Recap  »

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In: Nurses, Politics

Cities across the state are grappling with what to do about synthetic drugs.  Staffers at public shelters in Duluth have caught more than 100 people smoking, snorting, or injecting synthetics in the past year even though city council members have battled with a local head shop to halt sales.

On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson and a special Committee on Controlled Substances and Synthetic Drugs will meet in Duluth to develop some recommendations.

City and state leaders have fought again and again to stop these drugs that ER nurses and physicians say are turning people into zombies.  The trouble is, every time they outlaw a substance, the substance changes and becomes legal again.
… Read more about: Meeting Friday to battle Synthetic Drug Problem  »

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In: Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

Originally posted in the New Ulm Journal: http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/534962/Law-change-will-benefit-patients.html?nav=5004

Everyone who’s a patient in a hospital, who might be a patient in a hospital, or who cares about somebody in a hospital will be grateful that the Staffing Plan Disclosure Act was signed into law on May 9.

Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) and Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) authored a bill that provides for consumer transparency of hospitals’ nurse staffing plans. In addition, the Department of Health will study the correlation between nurse staffing and patient outcomes, with a final report due in January 2015.

Starting in January of 2014, patients will be able to see how many nurses care for them on a public website at www.mnhospitalquality.org/default.aspx Hospitals will be more transparent, and patients will make wiser decisions on where they have a procedure and where they can expect to make the best possible recovery.
… Read more about: Editorial: Law change will benefit patients  »

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In: Legislative Policy, Politics

The hand-wringing and the vote-counting are over.

Minnesota finally has a budget that protects the middle class, invests in our future, and protects the health of seniors.

It was no mean feat.  The Governor and the legislative leaders had to hold fast to the right priorities through threats of filibusters, add-on amendments, and even talk of businesses exiting the state.

Governor Mark Dayton and legislative leadership had to rectify years of imbalanced budgets and re-invest in state programs that had been long ignored.  In summary, the top 2 percent of wage earners will pay about 2 percent more in taxes, which will raise $1 billion dollars; cigarette and other tobacco taxes go up, which will raise another $600 million and hopefully convince some to quit; and they found money in the couch cushions too by closing corporate tax loopholes, which raises $424 million in business tax write-offs.
… Read more about: Governor and legislative leaders rebalance the budget  »

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In: Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

 

Health and Human Services

As we near the end of the session, the major budget bills are nearing completion. The details of the Health and Human Services Finance omnibus bill are still being decided, but the basic framework cuts $50 million from the HHS budget, not the $150 million originally planned. At the same time, it makes significant increases (3.25% in 2014 and 3.2% in 2015) to long term care, 75% of which will be mandated to go to workers’ wage increases. This is a major victory for workers whose wages have been frozen for years.

The HHS omnibus bill also includes funding to keep the Willmar state treatment facility, which had been slated for closure, open to continue providing much-needed services.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, May 17, 2013  »

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In: Legislative Policy, Politics

The Mayo’s Destination Medical Center appears to be a done deal.  Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars will transform Rochester into a gilded city worthy of hosting a gold standard of health care in the world, but something’s missing from all the talk – patients.

We know a little about what Rochester could look like, but it’s a lot more than we know what the Mayo could look like.  Rochester is slated to build new bridges, hotels, streets, and even a high-speed train from Minneapolis.   The DMC will create the optimal experience for patients and their families with world-class amenities to match their level of care. 
… Read more about: Is it a Destination or a Theme Park?  »