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Friends and Neighbors, Last week, I shared my frustration with the Walz administration’s continued silence in response to my questions about what they’re doing to stop fraud in state government. This week brought more crickets from the Governor and his team. While Gov. Walz may not be interested in working with legislators to address the fraud crisis, we’re moving forward anyway. This week, the House finally advanced the Office of Inspector General bill. I co-authored the Senate version, which passed overwhelmingly 60-7 last year. Getting this legislation signed into law would be a major step forward in the fight against fraud. Today marks the first and second deadlines of the session. Policy bills have to move favorably out of committee or they’re likely dead for the year. Next month, we’ll focus on the major spending bills. Next week is the legislative break. I’ll be back in the district meeting with constituents, businesses, and local organizations. If there’s anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for reading, ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Finding new ways to lower prescription drug costs Prescription drug prices are too high, and one big reason is that manufacturers spend roughly 25% of their budgets on advertising. You’ve probably seen it yourself—the average American watches as many as 16 hours of prescription drug ads on TV every year. A few weeks ago, I introduced a bill that would prohibit prescription drug manufacturers from running televised ads that directly market their drugs to consumers. The bill advanced out of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and received its second hearing in the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee today (Friday). ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Getting Our Priorities Straight |
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As a parent, I spend a lot of time thinking about our family's budget. Do we take a spring break trip, or contribute to the kids' college fund? Do we eat out less to offset rising health insurance premiums? Every day, we weigh wants against needs and make choices based on what really matters. We ought to do the same thing at the Legislature when we're spending taxpayer money. But right now, priorities are way out of whack. When it's your own paycheck, the decisions are clear. When it's public dollars, things get blurry and sometimes warped. Take the $40 million spending bill the Senate just passed. It would give money for rental and utility assistance to renters who've fallen behind. I’m always in favor of helping people in need, but none of the counties in our district asked for this. No one came to my office, called, or emailed and said it was a pressing need. Compare that to some real emergencies. Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is facing a financial crisis, projected to lose up to $50 million this year alone, and as much as $1.7 billion over the next decade. It's the busiest emergency department in the state, one of only two burn centers, and the biggest safety-net hospital for low-income and uninsured Minnesotans, serving people from every part of the state. Rural hospitals aren't doing much better. Mayo Clinic closed six rural clinics last December. Since 2010, 16 rural hospitals have shut downstatewide, and Minnesota led the nation in closing obstetrical units from 2011 to 2021. In our district, we're feeling it too. That's why I introduced a bill to fund training for maternity wards in rural hospitals. It's not a full fix, just a band-aid, but our hospitals say it's a priority, not only for patient care but because these facilities are huge economic drivers in small communities. And then there's the ongoing fraud crisis. Billions of taxpayer dollars potentially lost, yet we still don't have a clear, aggressive plan from Governor Walz to detect, prevent, and stop it. Meanwhile, we pass a $40 million bill with questionable safeguards against fraud. At the same time, the Governor's budget proposes cutting $370 million, including from nursing homes and disability services, for the second year in a row. We fought those cuts last year and we'll have to do it again. Folks in my district keep asking for help with rural hospitals, safer schools, more mental health support, and long-term care in rural areas. Those are real needs. At the Capitol, we debate how to spend taxpayer money, but we've lost sight of the basics. Before we get into details, we need to step back and ask ourselves, what kind of state do we want to be? Just like families choose between a vacation and college savings, we have to make wiser choices here and not fund the wants at the expense of the needs. |
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Originally created during the eight-year term of Gov. Mark Dayton, Center of the American Experiment’s Scandal Tracker was reopened to account for the ever-growing list of frauds and scandals perpetuated under the Tim Walz administration. Your one-stop resource for everything related to state government fraud in Minnesota ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Contact Me I always appreciate hearing from constituents. It helps me do my job better and stay focused on the issues that matter most to you. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, feel free to reach out. You can email at sen.rich.draheim@mnsenate.gov, and my legislative assistant, Henry Rosckes, is available at henry.rosckes@mnsenate.gov. Thanks for reading. Rich Draheim |