Honorable Chair Representative Jeff Backer
House Health Finance and Policy Committee
March 3rd, 2025
Supporting HF 1501 – Representative Murphy
Chair Backer and members of the House Health Finance and Policy Committee,
The Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) has always been committed to increasing access to healthcare and disability services for Minnesotans with disabilities. That is why we are proud to express our strong support of HF 1501. This important piece of legislation provides an increase in funding to the Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC) for fiscal year 2026 and 2027. Funding is critical to ensuring that RDAC can perform the functions that are specified in Minnesota State Statute.
During the 2019 legislative session, RDAC was created to address the needs of the rare disease community across Minnesota. In 2022, RDAC transitioned to an independent executive branch state agency. Today, RDAC’s mission is to improve the quality of care for the 1 in 10 Minnesotans living with rare diseases. This mission is accomplished through deepening our state’s understanding of the unique barriers faced by people with rare diseases, increasing access to quality care, reducing time to a diagnosis, and accelerating research. The agency
works with policymakers, healthcare providers, physicians, researchers, and patient advocacy groups to effectively advocate for the rare disease community.
Given the important role of RDAC for the state of Minnesota, MCD believes that it is crucial to provide adequate funding to enable the agency to serve as a vital resource for patients with rare diseases. Our state must prioritize the health and wellbeing of all Minnesotans. Therefore, investing in the work of RDAC will bring Minnesota closer to achieving this reality.
It is for the reasons above that we strongly urge this committee’s support of HF 1501.
Sincerely,
David Dively, Executive Director