Committee advances bill to let physicians designate permanent medical window tint prescriptions

The House Transportation Committee on March 24 voted to send Senate File 1075 (substituted as House File 1264) to the General Register after testimony and discussion.

Representative Joy Murphy explained that the bill would allow physicians to document when a patient27s need for a vehicle window tint is permanent, so the patient would not need to renew the medical prescription every two years. Under current Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. A7 169.71), certain medical exemptions for window tinting have required periodic renewal; the bill would permit a permanent designation when a physician determines the condition is lifelong.

David Sutherland, a witness whose wife was diagnosed with a permanent brain injury following a fall, described the real-world consequences that led him to support the change. "At the time of my retirement from Minnesota State Patrol in 02/2006, the information provided on the letter prescription from her neurologist complied with Minnesota statute 169.71," Sutherland said. He told the committee that after a 2008 statutory change prescriptions must be renewed every two years, which has required repeated clinical contact despite the neurologist indicating the injury is lifelong. "I further believe that our medical professionals need not to be burdened each time a prescription needs to be updated when the injury or medical condition is permanent," Sutherland said.

Representative Cagle and other members offered supportive remarks, and the committee approved Representative Murphy27s motion to send the bill to the General Register.

The committee did not take final action on the underlying statute; the record shows the bill was referred to the General Register for additional legislative processing.