On Tuesday, the House and Senate convened for a new two-year session.

As you know, Representative Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) was elected Speaker of the House, and Representative Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) was elected Minority Leader. Representative Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) will serve as Majority Leader.

In the Senate, Senator Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) made history as the first female Majority Leader in state history, and Senator Michelle Fischbach (R-Paynesville) joined her in making history as the first female Senate President. Senator Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) will serve as Minority Leader.

Although Tuesday’s opening day was heavy on pomp and circumstance, the new leadership and the Governor have a tall order ahead of them this session—mainly dealing with a projected $6.2 billion deficit.

To help you help long-term care in the state, we’ve posted contact information for the new legislators and leadership, as well as other helpful information on our newly-updated Advocacy webpage. You can access this site and all the information found there by clicking here. The Advocacy page will be your one-stop shop to find all the information you’ll need during the 2011 session with updates, grassroots information and issue briefs.

We have created specific lists with contact information for the legislators who were named to the Health and Human Services Committees in each body. If your legislator is on one of the Health and Human Services Committees, please reach out to them and invite them to tour your establishment or meet with staff to learn more about long-term care. Care Providers of Minnesota staff would be happy to help you set up a tour or a meeting with your legislator regardless of whether they serve on a related committee. It’s up to us to educate the legislators about the services we provide and our role in the community.

You can also keep in touch with your legislator by signing up for email alerts from their homepage.

Please call Larry Johnson at (952) 851-2482 for assistance or for help in finding which legislators represent you in Saint Paul.

Larry Johnson
952.851.2482
ljohnson@careproviders.org