(ABC 6 News) – In the early morning of Saturday, May 4th, the Minnesota Senate passed Senate File 4699, the Health and Human Services omnibus bill.

The omnibus bill contained several pieces of legislation authored by Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester), including provisions from her Minnesota Debt Fairness Act and several proposals relating to mental healthcare.

“In my role as a registered nurse, I interact with patients dealing with unforeseen medical issues on a regular basis. In many situations, the medical debt that folks incur can be financially devastating. We have heard countless heartbreaking stories from Minnesotans who have been victimized by predatory collection practices. The Minnesota Debt Fairness Act will create transparency in the debt collection system, prohibit providers from refusing care because of a patient’s outstanding medical debts, prevent debts from being transferred to one’s spouse, ensure medical debt does not impact folks’ credit scores, and limit overreaching predatory collection practices.

“By streamlining administrative work for mental healthcare providers, we’re allowing them to focus on the most important aspect of mental health care – their patients’ wellbeing.  Additionally, the $1 million in grants for children’s mental health resources is an incredibly important investment. The sooner we can intervene and prevent mental health crises in our young Minnesotans, the better they will fare when confronted with challenges later in life. I am incredibly proud of this legislation and so many other pieces included in the bill, and I look forward to making it law.”

The bill now awaits passage in the House and and the differences between the two versions will be reconciled in Conference Committee.