Dear Neighbor, There’s a whole lot of ground to cover again this week, so let’s get right to it:  Whistleblower website As mentioned in my last newsletter, MNFraud.com is now up and running as a website for citizens to submit tips on fraud, waste and abuse they see or suspect in state government. This is an important tool because, since 2019, $611 million in fraud has been funded with misuse of tax dollars. And that’s what we’ve found so far. It could be much more than that. When it comes to fraud in state government, we have a culture problem in Minnesota. This new website invites citizens to help usher in a new era of accountability. Funding non-profit organizations I am among bipartisan legislators who signed a letter urging fellow members to stop providing non-profit organizations with direct funding appropriations to conduct government work. State agencies generally award grants to nonprofits after conducting background checks and evaluating multiple proposals, ultimately selecting the applicant that best meets their criteria. Providing direct funds short-circuits the vetting process and has exposed our state to tax-dollar misuse. This will be important for Chairs of finance committees to keep in mind as we work to establish a new two-year state budget between now and our May 19 date for adjournment. On a separate non-profit note, there is a recent development regarding exorbitant salaries paid to non-profit executives at organizations receiving taxpayer dollars. In previous newsletters, I’ve touched on how non-profit executives are taking salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars – north of $700,000 in at least one case – and how the top 10 staffers we paid more than the governor. After we shed light on this subject and public outcry resulted, one CEO has resigned, and the organization is going to restructure its pay scale. To be clear, the prime objective here is to make sure salaries at taxpayer-funded organizations are in a range we can agree is reasonable. There are plenty of employment opportunities for people seeking more lavish pay that are not funded by taxpayers. K-12 Education House Republicans are launching a Save Our Schools plan to address micromanagement, mandates, and misplaced priorities in Minnesota’s K-12 education system. A press conference was conducted to outline the priorities we share with most Minnesotans: local control, funding flexibility and mandate relief. This is in response to the governor’s proposal to cut $240 million from schools, including non-public pupil aid, merit-based teacher pay and special education – penalizing both students and teachers who deserve better. This comes at a time districts throughout the state already are facing shortfalls after the governor and fellow legislative Democrats approved more than 65 unfunded mandates in 2023 and pushed school districts all around the state into shortfalls despite increasing the overall state budget by 40 percent. Now, Minnesota faces a $6 billion deficit and we need common-sense priorities to get our state back on track. Higher education As Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, I look forward to working on setting a new two-year plan for our section of the state’s budget. Higher Education accounts for around $4 billion in state spending this biennium. As someone who pays great attention to detail, I’m very interested in discussing exactly how our colleges and universities are using the taxpayer dollars they are provided. With a $6 billion shortfall, we need to account for every dime as we make decisions on our new state budget. For example, I’m very interested to hear the return on investment taxpayers are getting for funding the salaries of at least 139 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employees at state colleges and universities. If each of those employees is earning a $100,000 salary – likely a lowball figure – that adds up to $13.9 million taxpayer dollars to support groups someone believes to be oppressed. Click here for more on this subject. Return to the office The governor recently issued a mandate stating that, starting June 1, most government workers must return to the office at least 50 percent of the time. While technological advancements made in recent years certainly allow more work to be completed remotely, there are many benefits of having workers together in an office setting and I support the governor’s action. Some people have expressed outrage over having to show up for work merely half the time. Minnesota’s two largest state worker unions are pushing back, demanding the governor rescind his order. They had a rally at the Capitol to protest having to return to the office to perform their taxpayer-funded jobs. The gathering wasn’t all that well attended, with only a couple dozen or so on hand. Meanwhile, state government is Minnesota’s second-largest employer. I wonder why more government workers didn’t show up at the rally to support their case for not showing up at the office. Also, if you look closely, photos of the rally show Democrat legislators seem to make up over half the small group in attendance. That’s especially interesting because the very same House Democrats pictured also did not come to their offices for nearly one full month to start this year’s session. Special election A special election will take place April 29 to fill the vacant Senate seat in District 6 after Sen. Justin Eichorn recently was arrested and then resigned. A primary election would be April 15 if necessary. Eichorn faces federal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor. |