On Thursday, the Minnesota Senate passed two pieces of legislation with unanimous support. The Senate passed House File 3100, which establishes an emergency assistance program for Minnesotans unable to afford the high costs of insulin, and House File 2959, which renews the Rural Finance Authority.

“I’m proud to join the rest of the Senate in unanimously passing two important bills today. We passed an emergency insulin program to make sure Minnesotans across the state have access to the lifesaving drug. We also passed a bill providing the Rural Finance Authority with more than $50 million in bonding, which will allow them to continue offering low-interest loans to farmers across the state,” said Senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson). “These were bipartisan right down the middle. I believe these two bills will help a lot of Minnesotans and I’m proud to lend my support.”

House File 3100 creates an emergency assistance program to provide access to insulin on an emergency basis, along with a patient assistance program to provide ongoing insulin access for eligible Minnesotans. In 2019, the legislature passed laws allowing pharmacies to fill a 30-day supply of emergency insulin and other lifesaving drugs if a prescription runs out, requiring Pharmacy Benefit Managers to communicate available manufacturer rebates and discounts to pharmacies, and prohibiting health plans for making a profit on the sale of insulin. The legislation awaits action by a conference committee between the House and the Senate.

House File 2959 provides $50 million in bonding for the Rural Finance Authority, which is the state’s main agricultural lending arm that partners with community banks to provide farmers and other ag producers with low interest loans. Since the program’s inception in 1986, the Rural Finance Authority has issued more than $250 million in low-interest loans that aid farmers in financing expansions, recovering from disasters, and other needs.