ST. PAUL – House Republicans have introduced a series of bills aimed at curbing fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs.
Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said the measures would increase accountability and protect taxpayers at a time fraud and waste is rampant in Minnesota. From Feeding our Future to childcare assistance, frontline worker pay, and DHS and the Department of Education, reports of fraud and waste have cost Minnesota taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars – and counting.
“It is clear our state agencies became a bit relaxed during two years of full Democrat control in St. Paul, allowing taxpayer dollars to continue being wasted,” Swedzinski said. “Those days are over. Minnesota taxpayers deserve better so House Republicans are focusing on bringing accountability back to state government. Common-sense oversight and stronger accountability measures are among our first steps toward fixing this problem and protecting taxpayers.”
The first three bills House Republicans drafted in response to this issue this session include:
- House File 1: Establishes a centralized Office of the Inspector General to lead the fight against fraud across state programs. The bill consolidates agency-based inspector general offices into a unified entity, requires agencies to halt payments when fraud is suspected, and mandates the creation of a fraud reporting hotline. Additionally, it provides funding to ensure the new OIG has the resources to be effective.
- House File 2: Strengthens fraud prevention by mandating stricter reporting requirements for state agencies and equipping them with additional tools to identify and prevent fraudulent activities.
- House File 3: Establishes “fraud notes,” a groundbreaking tool to assess the susceptibility of proposed legislation to fraud. Similar to fiscal notes, fraud notes would provide lawmakers with an evaluation of potential fraud risks before enacting new programs or policies.
House Republicans anticipate each of the three bills will receive their first House Committee hearings in the coming weeks.
-30-