Hennepin Healthcare
This week, Rep. Tina Liebling and I introduced legislation to update the law governing the Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS). Amid concerns of potential action by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners to dissolve the HHS Board of Directors and retake full control of the system, our legislation aims to create procedural safeguards around any potential dissolution. HHS is an absolutely vital part of Minnesota?s health care system, and we must ensure that any change in its governance doesn?t compromise the quality of service it provides.?
Our legislation would restrict the county board from dissolving the HHS board except in case of malfeasance following a formal investigation. We outlined a series of steps including notice, identification of the specific acts of malfeasance, and an assessment of the implications of the action, including on programs, services, and continued access to health care by the community.
We will continue working with Hennepin County leadership to refine the language of the bill to promote stability for HCMC while not infringing on the Hennepin County Board?s important role of oversight.
Passing Gun Safety Legislation
Lost and stolen guns are often used in crimes, or end up in the hands of those who may cause harm to themselves or others. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, roughly 266,000 guns were stolen across the U.S. per year from 2017-2021. Of these, only 3% were stolen from federally licensed gun dealers, while 95% were stolen from private citizens, equivalent to one every two minutes, and a quarter are never reported to law enforcement.
This week we passed legislation to help prevent gun trafficking, assist in recovering lost or stolen guns, make firearm owners more accountable for their weapons, and give our law enforcement another tool to help keep our communities safe and free of gun violence by requiring lost or stolen firearms to be reported to law enforcement within 48 hours after they are known to be lost.
We also passed legislation strengthening Minnesota?s laws around straw purchases, which occur when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them. H.F. 2609 updates the state?s straw purchasing law to increase the penalty from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.
Finally, we passed H.F. 4300, which requires the safe storage of firearms, an important step to prevent access by children and others who should not have access to guns. This bill requires firearms be stored either unloaded and equipped with a locking device or placed in a locked firearm storage unit (e.g., a gun safe) or a locked gun room, where it may be either loaded or unloaded. The safe storage of firearms will save lives.
All Minnesotans deserve to be safe in their communities, and this legislation is a step in the right direction. I was proud to vote yes on these bills.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime you have questions, need assistance, or have input to share at [email protected] or 651-296-5506. I always appreciate hearing from you. You?re also welcome to follow me on my official Facebook page for more updates.
Thank you for the honor of representing our Apple Valley neighbors at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,
Robert Bierman
State Representative?
|