Minnesota Agencies

A residential care and services electronic monitoring work group is established to create recommendations for legislation that authorizes the use of voluntary electronic monitoring to protect vulnerable children and adults and hold accountable perpetrators of abuse.

The work group shall issue a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over civil law, judiciary, and health and human services by January 15, 2017.

The commissioner of health shall appoint the work group chair and convene its first meeting no later than July 1, 2016. The work group expires 30 days following the completion of the work required in statute.

The Work Group met 10 times between June 22, 2016 and January 4, 2017. The Group discussed electronic monitoring, or the use of "granny cams", by families seeking to prevent abuse or neglect of their loved ones in nursing homes. The Group's final report recommends rules on the use of electronic surveillance in senior care facilities (please see the final report below).

The 17 members of the work group shall include:
(1) two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the house and one appointed by the minority leader;
(2) two members of the senate, one appointed by the majority leader and one appointed by the minority leader;
(3) the commissioner of health or a designee;
(4) the commissioner of human services or a designee;
(5) one representative of consumers or victims;
(6) the ombudsman for long-term care established under Minnesota Statutes, section 256.974;
(7) one representative from Care Providers of Minnesota;
(8) one representative from LeadingAge Minnesota;
(9) one representative from the Minnesota Home Care Association;
(10) one representative from the Minnesota chapter of AARP;
(11) one representative of a nonprofit organization with a focus on Alzheimer's disease;
(12) one representative of county attorneys;
(13) one representative with legal expertise on medical privacy; and
(14) one representative of direct-care workers.

Work Group members: Amanda Vickstrom (chair), Executive Director of Minnesota Elder Justice Center; Rep. Nick Zerwas; Rep. Deb Hillstrom; Sen. Alice Johnson; Sen. Michelle Benson; Gilbert Acevedo, Assistant Commissioner, Health Systems Bureau, Minnesota Department of Health; Loren Colman, Assistant Commissioner, Continuing Care - Minnesota Department of Human Services; Jean Peters, Representative of Consumers or Victims; Cheryl Hennen, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Doug Beardsley, Vice President of Member Services, Care Providers of Minnesota; Jonathan Lips, Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, LeadingAge Minnesota; Skip Valusek, Member of the MHCA Legislative Team, Minnesota Home Care Association (MCHA); Mary Jo George, Assistant State Director for Advocacy, AARP Minnesota; Beth McMullen, Vice President, Government Affairs, Alzheimer's Association Minnesota-North Dakota; Tony Palumbo, County Attorney and Chief Prosecutor, Anoka County Attorney's Office; Rebecca Coffin, Attorney at Law, Voight, Rode & Boxeth, LLC; Rick Varco, Political Director, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota.