Minnesota Council On Disability

Your Policy, Training and Technical Resource

URGENT: Contact MN State Legislators to Come Back NOW and Pass SF 4200

Minnesota Senate ChamberMonday, March 16, the Minnesota legislature passed emergency funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and other health facilities to address the COVID-19/coronavirus public health crisis.

Meanwhile, stakeholders were working together to pass language that would have offered some regulatory flexibility for disability service providers – including Personal Care Assistance and Home & Community Based Services – to best support Minnesotans with disabilities during these chaotic and uncertain times.

Unfortunately, this critical legislation, Senate File 4200, was not included in the COVID-19 relief bill passed on Monday, March 16.

We urgently NEED YOUR HELP to get this passed. Contact your legislators RIGHT NOW, asking them to come back to the Capitol this week to pass SF 4200 to make sure people with disabilities have access to critical services and stay healthy in their homes.

Find out who represents you at Who Represents Me?

Message for legislators

You may use this message to communicate with your legislators:

Dear [legislator name],

I know that you have worked hard to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19/coronavirus on Minnesotans statewide, and appreciate the measures put in place thus far.

However, the depth of this crisis greatly impacts individuals with disabilities, their family members, and support professionals – who are at even higher risk due to underlying health conditions, low income, and food/housing insecurity.

This also comes at a time when our current network of disability supports is at the brink of collapse due to the widespread workforce shortage. Providers need flexibility to support individuals in new and different ways immediately to preserve access to services and avoid unnecessary hospitalization.

That’s why we URGE you to reconvene at the Capitol IMMEDIATELY to pass Senate File 4200, which creates more flexibility in our service systems so individuals with disabilities can stay healthy at home.

It allows the Commissioner of Human Services to temporarily waive or modify regulatory, administrative, and program requirements to preserve access to crucial services during this peacetime emergency. It also outlines checks and balances needed for strong legislative oversight, as well as some important consumer protections.

Please return to the Capitol NOW to pass S.F. 4200. Your action is more critical now than ever as this crisis deepens with each passing day, and is vital for the health and stability of Minnesota’s disability community.

Next steps

After contacting your own legislators, please reach out to legislative leaders as well:

Speaker of the House, Rep. Melissa Hortman

House Minority Leader, Rep. Kurt Daudt:

Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Paul Gazelka:

Senate Minority Leader, Susan Kent:

Thank you for your quick response to this action alert. We are grateful for your advocacy in this critical time!