St. Paul — On Thursday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 1, the bill designed to provide health care insurance premium relief.

Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, supported an amendment to the bill, allowing agricultural co-operatives to form joint, self-insured plans for their members.

“There is a real urgency here, a real need for these options. Many small business owners and farmers in my district would benefit from something like this,” Poppe said in a press release. “This is a creative solution that I encourage my fellow lawmakers to support and move forward.”

The bill to which the amendment regarding agriculture co-operatives was attached passed off the floor of the House Thursday. It will be taken into conference committee and have differences between it and its Senate counterpart reconciled. Gov. Mark Dayton’s office is also actively engaged in finding a suitable solution.

“I agree with parts of this bill like continuity of care and the agriculture co-op amendment, but I voted against it because I have real concerns over the bureaucracy it creates,” Poppe said in the release. “Getting relief to Minnesotans quickly is vital. Governor Dayton put a plan forward months ago which has been applauded for its simplicity and effectiveness. The GOP-sponsored bill creates more work for our state agencies and comes at a much higher cost.”