Minnesota Legislator Wants to Amend State Constitution to Ensure Funding for Elderly and Disabled

Minnesota legislator Ken Eken is leading an effort to increase funding for senior citizens and the disabled. On March 3, he announced that instead of trying to pass a law, this year he wants to amend the state Constitution to require funding for “the state’s most vulnerable.” As baby boomers age, the state’s nursing home and home health care industries will be pressed, Eken and other lawmakers said. More than 1.3 million Minnesotans will be at least 65 years old, and Eken said 70 percent of them will need some form of long-term care. Under Eken’s plan, an estimated $1.2 billion a year would be provided by adding a tax on the 4 percent wealthiest Minnesotans.
Eken said that the tax would be collected on Minnesotans’ income more than $118,500. Americans pay a federal tax up to that amount to fund Social Security. Eken said the state would add the same size tax on people earning more than $118,500. The Eken plan would amend the Constitution for 25 years, enough to ride out what he described as “an age wave coming toward us, the likes of which we have never seen.” Supporters of the amendment say that the Constitution requires the dedication of other funds, such as those for transportation, arts and outdoors projects. Without dedicating funds to long-term care, they say, senior citizen and disabled care will fight education and other issues for state money.

Source/more: Alexandria (MN) Echo Press

David Wingate is an elder law attorney at the Elder Law Office of David Wingate, LLC. The elder law office services clients with powers of attorneys, living wills, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid and asset protection. The Elder Law office has locations in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.