State Senator Ann Rest Ushers in New Laws
Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, sponsored three new laws that went into effect on Jan 1. Two fell under health and human services, while the third was for public safety.
The public safety regulation was a ban on binary triggers. That’s a device that allows guns to fire two shots: one when someone pulls the trigger, another when they release it.
CCX Media covered a case involving a binary trigger in September in New Hope.
Rest said a binary trigger was also used in the fatal shooting of first responders in Burnsville last February. Rest said that made the legislation especially timely.
“That seemed like a good time to ban them,” Rest said. “What I believe it does is reduce the likelihood of serious injury.”
The other two bills with Rest’s name on them fell under the health category. Both pertained to insurance coverage.
The first involved protecting abortion care for pregnant women.
“If they choose termination, if they choose an abortion, that the right to do that is protected in our state,” Rest explained.
The law takes that protection further by requiring health care plans to cover abortions and abortion-related services. That includes pre- and follow-up services, according to the new law information sheet. Religious exemptions still apply.
The other health-related bill requires health insurance plans to cover hair prosthesis, more colloquially known as medical wigs, for cancer patients. It also requires insurance to cover an amino acid-based elemental formula.
“There are a lot of women, especially maybe women are more sensitive to it, for whom that was a real challenge to pay for that out of pocket,” Rest explained.
Former Sen. Kari Dziedzic authored the bill. Rest said it was personal to Dziedzic, as she had ovarian cancer and experienced hair loss. She died from that cancer just before 2025 began.
“Very meaningful to her to do something for other people,” Rest reflected.
For other local representation, Rep. Mike Freiberg’s name was also on a college campus voting law. A full list of the laws that went into effect on Jan. 1 are available on the legislature’s website.
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