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Human services policy bill including continuity-of-care provisions passes Minnesota House after amendments
Summary
The House passed Senate File 476 as amended, a broad human-services policy bill that includes continuity-of-care provisions, enhanced protections for vulnerable adults, behavioral-health and long-term care provisions, and program-integrity measures; the final roll call was 93–39.
The Minnesota House passed Senate File 476 after debate and a series of floor amendments. The bill, described by sponsor Representative Noor as a human services policy package, contains multiple articles addressing direct treatment policy, protections for vulnerable adults, behavioral-health policy, continuity of care, and other technical and program-integrity changes.
Sponsor and proponents stressed bipartisan stakeholder work and targeted policy changes. Representative Knorr outlined articles covering employee protections from harassment by patients, budget continuation items for corrections/detention settings, health-related policy sections, aging and disability services, behavioral health, and provisions addressing maltreatment of vulnerable adults. Representative Schumacher and other co-chairs highlighted collaboration with the Senate and stakeholder groups.
Floor amendment activity included the adoption of the DE3 amendment (technical and policy adjustments), a withdrawn A8 amendment that would have created a legislative working group for community input, and the adoption of an agency-technical amendment coded A13. Representative Kern discussed A11, a proposed change to billing limits on individualized home supports (monthly cap up to 182.5 hours), but she withdrew that amendment. After debate highlighting tightened data protections for staff in civil-commitment programs and incremental policy changes, the clerk recorded 93 yays and 39 nays; the bill passed as amended and its title was agreed to.
Supporters said the bill closes data-access loopholes, adds modest extensions for some civil-commitment re-entry windows, and addresses staffing classifications and program-integrity tools. Opponents voiced procedural or fiscal concerns on particular provisions during floor exchanges but no single point prevented passage.
The measure contains policy and technical modifications rather than a single new large appropriation on the floor; budgetary effects were discussed in relation to separate forecast-adjustment bills heard later in the session. Sponsors said additional program-integrity proposals would be forthcoming to address fraud and improper payments.
