ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton has limited time to make a decision on whether he will sign two abortion bills into law.
Members of the Senate passed two bills by a vote of 35-29 on Thursday according to the Associated Press.
In late April, Alpha News reported that the Minnesota House had passed the two bills.
HF 209, authored by Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) would block taxpayer dollars from funding abortions in the state. The House, in a bipartisan effort, passed the bill 77-54.
David Montgomery, with the Pioneer Press, notes that approximately 47.7 percent of 2015 abortions in Minnesota are paid for through public assistance. Approximately 28.9 percent of abortions were paid for by the patient, and 23.5 percent were paid for through private coverage.
Here’s some data on abortions in Minnesota from the Health Department’s most recent report: pic.twitter.com/ImUDvbwsYt
— David Montgomery (@dhmontgomery) May 4, 2017
The other bill, HF 812, authored by Rep. Deb Kiel (R-Crookston) would require abortion facilities to be licensed by the state commissioner of health if they perform 10 or more procedures a month and authorizes the inspections of these facilities. The bill passed 79-53.
As reported by Alpha News in April, Executive Director for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), Scott Fischbach, said, “With these changes, MCCL is hopeful that Gov. Dayton will sign into law this effort to protect women’s health and lives, and prevent the horrific abortion facility conditions discovered in other states.”
Dayton, however, does not share his sentiments.
“I oppose both of them, and will continue to oppose them, and will say that I will veto them if they are included in any bill,” Dayton said in a press conference Thursday.
Dayton said he has no problem with the legislature sending the bills to his desk separately, but says it will become a problem if they try to “include it in the budget and ram it through.”
Both Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith are vocal pro-choice advocates. Smith formerly served as the Regional Vice President for Planned Parenthood.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
