Senate Hearing on Assisted Living Licensure Scheduled for Dec. 14

Next Wednesday, Dec. 14, the Senate Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy intends to hold an informational hearing on Assisted Living Licensure (Chapter 144G). This hearing will be an opportunity to raise concerns and establish priorities for refinement in the upcoming session, but no official action will be taken.

The 2019 law was ultimately a compromise between all interested parties that aimed to:

• Ensure safe, quality services for seniors and their families
• Protect seniors' choices and independence
• Establish transparency and accountability
• Additionally, the provider community raised the importance and value of ensuring affordability and access to services for Minnesota seniors.

LeadingAge Minnesota's goal for this hearing

When the assisted licensure law was passed, policymakers knew it would require continuous improvement as implementation rolled out and stakeholders developed a better understanding of the law's impact. That time is now. Eighteen months into the new law and three years past a pandemic, it's time to examine where Minnesota is holding up to those principles and where we have room for improvement.

• We know that the licensure law is especially burdensome for our small residential providers. The reality is that meeting the requirements of this law make the ability to offer affordable services nearly impossible.
• We know that we have a severe staffing shortage across the sector, including in assisted living communities. The current licensure law has incredibly rigid requirements that place additional barriers to getting caregivers to work, allowing them to work to the top of their scope and critically: compensating them fairly for serving our seniors with dignity.

• We know that in pursuing these objectives, all stakeholders must share a commitment to quality improvement, integrity, and service with empathy. Many of our members never had- nor will have- the privilege of working from home. They became surrogate families during the pandemic and remain so in communities across the state. It's time to return our focus to those values.

LeadingAge Minnesota, on behalf of the Long-Term Care Imperative, is coordinating provider testimony that balances the time we were allotted to testify with geographic and service balance.

Given the amount of public attention assisted living and the licensure debate received, we also anticipate that there will be media interest in the hearing and in public testimony. As a result, we look forward to assuring the public that the principles and objectives of the original compromise still stand and that changes any stakeholder pursues must honor the spirit of that underlying premise.

Where to watch

You can follow the Senate Human Services committee here, where it will publish a link to view the hearing. You can also tune in to Senate Media's YouTube live-stream channel.

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