June 5, 2019

Assisted Living Licensure: “True Solutions Need True Partners,” says Governor Walz

On June 5, 2019 by Jodi Boyne

In a ceremonial bill signing that took place today during the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Governor Tim Walz cited the collaboration that took place among stakeholders to draft legislation that will improve the lives of seniors, move Minnesota forward in assisted living licensure, and help ensure safety, respect and dignity for people as they age.  

“True solutions need true partners,” said Governor Tim Walz before he declared the Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act of 2019 the law of the land. “This is an acclimation of how democracy works. A group of people identified an issue and banded together to speak and listen to each other, and then led with their hearts and their minds to draft legislation that will improve the lives of people.”  

The ceremonial bill signing took place during the 2019 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day conference sponsored by the Minnesota Elder Justice Center. Other people participating in the ceremony included: Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan; Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Minnesota Department of Health; Commissioner Tony Lourey, Minnesota Department of Human Services; Senator Karin Housley; Senator Scott Dibble; and Representative Jen Schultz; LeadingAge Minnesota and the stakeholder organizations that helped draft the final legislation. 

Commissioner Jan Malcolm shared the spirit and the philosophy being the bill and acknowledged that while it was not a complete solution to the broader societal issue of elder abuse, it takes steps in the right direction.

“We are building a better system and it took an extraordinary community effort to bring us here today,” Malcolm said.

In her remarks, she credited the voices and passion of the consumer advocacy groups, such as AARP, Elder Voices, Minnesota Legal Aid and the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota; the leadership of legislative champions such as Schultz, Dibble and Housley; and the commitment of providers, such as LeadingAge Minnesota and Care Providers of Minnesota, to work together to reach a compromise.

“By better understanding each other’s perspective, we found pragmatic, common sense, One Minnesota solutions,” Malcolm added.