APRN Bills Passed and Signed into Law!

In the last minutes of an unprecedented Minnesota legislative session, the MN APRN Coalition bill, the largest statutory alignment bill offered by the Coalition yet, was passed at 11:38 pm on Sunday, May 17, 2020.

We had made significant progress in both our bills passing major committee hurdles before the COVID-19 interruption of the session. We were worried about two year's of work potentially going down the drain if the bills failed to maintain their journeys forward.

Many thanks to our Chief Authors, Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, and Representative Heather Edelson for keeping the momentum moving in both chambers and getting these important legislative language changes into law. We couldn't have done this without them.

A special standing ovation to our Governmental Affairs Consultants Maureen O'Connell and Lisa Fink. Their work behind the scenes and connections with other organizations and legislatures benefits the Coalition greatly. Maureen's all day Sunday calls with legislature, organizations, multiple emails, and endless energy made this last-minute inclusion in SF 13 and the passage of our bills possible! Thank you for always representing the MN APRN Coalition and Minnesota APRNS so very well on the hill. We have come a very long way when other health organizations, legislators, revisors, and lobbyists ask, "What do the APRNs think?"

We have our eyes on continued work in the upcoming special session. It is likely that Senator Abler's omnibus bill will come forward. This bill includes language changes to make state law consistent with the recent Federal Medicare changes in the CARES act allowing NPs, CNS, and midwives to certify and recertify the medicare patient's need for home health and hospice services. It also includes changes to ensure telehealth services are able to provide the necessary care during this pandemic. We have continued to meet with DHS and other stakeholders to ensure consistent APRN inclusive language is part of that bill. This bill also includes the commitment language allowing APRNs were working in emergency rooms to order 72-hour holds when necessary for their patients. It was a herculean effort to get this language included in the statute with so many stakeholders working on this bill.  We will keep you apprised of the outcome of this after the special session.

If you would like to see the bill in detail (SF13) please click here. The APRNs bills became Article 4 in this omnibus bill.

Finally, just a reminder that we can only represent as well as we do because of membership in the Minnesota APRN Coalition. If you are not a member please consider joining, and if you are a member, THANK YOU...and please rejoin. 

With warmest regards,

Brian K. Goodroad, DNP, APRN, CNP, FAANP

Minnesota APRN Coalition President