House bill restores some of last year's human services cuts

The Minnesota House on Tuesday passed a bill that restores some spending cuts made last year to health and human services programs.

The bill restores funding for people who care for disabled family members, for group homes, and for emergency medical care for illegal immigrants. The House passed the bill by a vote of 128-2.

The bill restores a total of $18.1 million to programs that were cut in last year's budget, Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, said.

"People talk about us not working together and squabbling and never getting anything done," Abeler said. "This is an example where we care about disability people. We care about people's needs and 128 votes is the most I've ever seen on a human service finance bill."

The Senate is also expected to pass the bill. Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign the bill into law.

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