Senator Dahms joins majority in unveiling 2019 legislative priorities

Today, Senator Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls) joined his Republican colleagues in unveiling an agenda that puts families at the top of the priority list in the 2019 session. Helping families with the cost and availability of childcare and health care, with an emphasis on mental health care will be the focus of Senate files one through three. Finding and eliminating waste and fraud in state government and aligning the tax code with the federal government round out the first five bills to be introduced in the Senate.

“This legislative session will be about getting to work for Minnesota families,” said Senator Dahms. “As we put together a responsible state budget, we’ll do it in a way that confronts the challenges facing Minnesota families. The goal is to meet the needs of all Minnesotans – and particularly those in Greater Minnesota.”

  • Mental health – Senate Republicans promise a stronger legislative response to the growing problem families are facing regarding mental health, especially in our schools and on the farm.
  • Childcare – Senate Republicans held interim hearings around the state on the costs and availability of childcare and will propose legislation to help families based on this public feedback.
  • Health care costs – Senate Republicans will build upon their success lowering health insurance premiums by offering new proposals on transparent health care billing and guaranteeing coverage for preexisting conditions.
  • Government accountability – Senate Republicans will have several proposals to hold government more accountable and stop wasting money in the areas of childcare fraud, MNLARS, and other statewide IT failures.
  • Tax conformity – Senate Republicans will use the opportunity of conforming to the new federal tax law to simplify the tax code and reduce taxes for Minnesota families and businesses.

Senate Republicans will roll out a more detailed and robust legislative agenda for 2019 once the caucus has more time to meet in January.

Senator Gary Dahms, of Redwood Falls, is in his third term representing District 16, which includes communities in Brown, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood, Renville, and Yellow Medicine counties. He serves as chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee and is a deputy majority leader.