-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Dave Hartley http://www.asheville-computer.com/dave -----Original Message----- Subject: Fw: MN Alternative Health Care Bill Forges Ahead The latest from Minnesota: 3/12/00 When the final gavel went down in Room 15 of the State Capitol, we were jubilant. SF 689, The Complementary and Alternative Health Care Bill, had been passed in the Senate Government Operations Committee, the final policy committee. Our bill has now passed all policy committees in the House and the Senate, and is referred to the Health and Family Security Budget Division, chaired by Sen Linda Berglin, for recommendation regarding financing. We are truly elated over the progress our bill has made in the last two weeks. We do indeed feel that we have been laboring, and have given birth to a bouncing baby bill. After clearing all of the policy committees in the House of Representatives last week, on Monday of this week, it cleared the House Health Finance Committee and was laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus bill. Many thanks to Rep. Fran Bradley, GOP, Chair of the House, Health Committee, Rep Steve Smith, GOP, Chair of the House Civil Law Committee, and Rep Kevin Goodno, GOP, Chair of the House Health Finance Committee, for giving us hearings. Then we faced a deadline looming of ONE WEEK to clear all Senate policy committees. Lots of people said it couldn't be done. But our bill was heard on Tuesday in the Senate Health Committee, and passed. Thank you to Sen. John Hottinger, DFL, Chair of the Senate Health Committee for the hearing time! Wednesday, it was on to the Judiciary Committee, which also had a very full schedule, but thanks to Sen. Jane Ranum, DFL, Chair, who squeezed it in, it passed that committee. Senators Linda Berglin, DFL, and Deanna Weiner, DFL, also gave eloquent support of our bill during the debates. Thursday, Sen. James Metzen, DFL Chair of the Gov Ops committee fitted us in his schedule, and we again passed that committee on an overwhelming voice vote. We made the deadline! Many thanks to all the legislators, both GOP and DFL, who gave us an opportunity to make a case for the injustice of the present legal system regarding natural health care. In all, we had 13 separate hearings in two subcommittees and seven full committees, for a total of 15 hours of committee work. The legislators have scrutinized our proposal, every jot and tittle, added and trimmed and tweaked, (sometimes to our consternation,) and finally pronounced it as good public policy. We just can't give enough thanks to our two strong chief authors, Rep. Lynda Boudreau, GOP, and Sen. Twyla Ring, DFL. They have advocated for access to natural health care with their whole heart, and much of our past success, and hopefully future success, depends on them. We still have a long road to hoe, because the legislature as a whole must now make its final decisions regarding bills which have passed committees. If our bill passes, it will take effect in July, 2001, and will establish a new Office of Unlicensed Complementary and Alternative Health Care in the Department of Health. We are told there is still much work ahead of us before passage is final. We are learning as we go, and that's part of the charm of this grass-roots movement. We go to the lobbying room, and are surrounded by lobbyists in expensive suits from every conceivable powerful interest group, working their cell phones and lap-top computers! We're just plain folks, and so are you, who care about access to natural health care, and look what we have done together! Some legislators have told us that what we have accomplished so far is "just remarkable." A big part of our success so far has been that you folks have made your wishes heard, loud and clear, to the legislators, and as a result, they have responded. Senator Twyla Ring, our Senate author, showed me her file of consumer letters regarding this bill. I counted almost 60, all letters from the heart. In addition, phones have been ringing off the hook at the Capitol in support of the natural health bill. Boy, have these legislators learned a lot this year regarding health care options they never knew existed! You gotta say they have had an open mind to new ideas. You've done a great job! But you can't quit yet, and neither will we, till we really reach the end zone. This has been a huge collective effort on the part of many people. We will continue to be over at the Capitol every day, doing what we can, but public support is crucial at this point. We ask you to write letters to the people who will be leaders on the Floor on this issue. We'll let you know as we find out, but please start with thanking the above-mentioned people. As chairs of the relevant committees, they will be key people. Thank them for giving us fair hearings, and ask them to help ensure final passsage of HF 537 and SF 689, the Complementary and Alternative Health Care Bill. Again we ask for your financial support of our organization, as we will be doing perhaps another two months of work on this bill. We squeak along financially week to week, and so far we've managed to give our lobbyist, Diane Miller, financial support, so she hasn't had to get a different job. She's been doing an awesome job of negotiating with every interest group affected by this bill, and finding new language to accomodate their concerns without harming our goals. This could not have happened without her, and we must retain her now. This effort has been financed by you, the people, thanks so much for keeping it alive! Send your contributions to: Minn. Natural Health Legal Reform Project, 3236 17th Av S, Mpls, Mn 55407. Any questions, please call 612 721 3305. This sea-change in health care is really going to happen! ------------------------------------------------------------- To leave this list use your Web browser on URL http://www.lyghtforce.com/leave-homeo-list.html { in case of difficulty contact <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> } ------------------------------------------------------------- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! 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