In response to comments made by Governor Mark Dayton regarding elder care legislation, Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point), chairwoman of the Senate Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee, issued the following statement:

“While I hesitate in addressing the many inaccuracies of the governor’s comments, it is important to tell the truth. As is the case with every legislative committee hearing, testifiers are expected to sit at the table next to the bill’s presenter. The only way we will prevent elder abuse is by hearing from all stakeholders.

“We wouldn’t even be having this discussion if the governor’s administration had a handle on its agencies. Instead, the state bureaucracy failed.”

Senator Karin Housley is in her second term representing Senate District 39, which includes Stillwater, Forest Lake, Lake Elmo, and other communities in Chisago and Washington counties. She serves as chairwoman of the Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee.