ST. PAUL, MN—House Republicans sent a letter Tuesday signed by all 55 members of the House Republican Caucus to House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, requesting hearings on the ongoing turmoil at DHS during the upcoming "mini-session" scheduled for October 2-4 in Winona, Minnesota. Hortman announced the mini-session dates in an email to legislators last Thursday.
“As a member of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee, it is our duty to provide oversight of the Department of Health & Human Services and I do not believe we can wait to perform this oversight function until the Legislature reconvenes in February 2020," said Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove. "The Mini-Session provides us a perfect opportunity to discuss changes at DHS and update the public on the changes at our largest state agency.
"We are obligated, as elected representatives, to ensure DHS has identified and corrected the issues that have created this turmoil and that it has a transparent strategic plan with measurable metrics for addressing the problems within programs, contracts, and management. "
Earlier this month, top Republicans on the various committees overseeing DHS wrote to DFL Chairs Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, and Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, calling for hearings. Those requests have thus far been ignored.
Newspaper editorial boards have called for transparency and clarity on the turmoil that led to the resignation of top officials, and the abrupt departure of former Commissioner Lourey after just six months on the job. The Fairmont Sentinel said in an editorial earlier this month that “Nobody is offering much in the way of real explanations as to what is going on. So Gov. Walz has some explaining to do. It’s time for some answers.” The Duluth News Tribune echoed those sentiments, saying “Minnesota taxpayers want to know just what’s going on. We deserve to know. We have a right to know.”
Rep. Robbins and the GOP members of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee previously sent a letter to Chair Rena Moran asking for hearings to be held on the issues at the Department of Human Services.
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