At the Capitol

The highlight of this week was getting a nice tour of the capitol with Matt Lemke. It was nice because it gave Michelle and me the opportunity to learn things about the capitol and the chambers that you may not hear on the guided tour. I enjoyed a more personalized tour so we could ask general questions and also hear specific stories about issues related to pharmacy that have happened in the past.  We stopped in to the Legislative Committee on Health Care Access meeting and got a feel for what happens. Matt helped to explain what was going on and how some of the processes work behind the scenes and introduced us to members of the chambers. He also took the time to point out members who are supporters of pharmacy and who have helped to champion bills in the two chambers. One thing I found interesting in talk with Matt was when he spoke of the other lobbyists that he has good relationships with. I asked him if it is challenging for lobbyists to have good relationships when sometimes they may be trying to get different bills passed that may be opposing each other and he mentioned that most lobbyist have good relationships and will try to work together to provide the people of Minnesota with the best outcomes. I respect that about the lobbyists that we met yesterday.  The other great thing to hear was how much Matt enjoys lobbying for MPhA and the profession of pharmacy and he mentioned he can see that pharmacy is a great profession that does a lot of great things and there are people at the capitol that recognized it and are very supportive of us.

Thanks Matt for doing a great job at the capitol.  We in the profession of pharmacy appreciate it.