Dear Friends & Neighbors,
I hope you are enjoying these last glorious weeks of summer! Like many of you, our family is getting ready to send kids back to college and school, cheering on the Twins and having “last” summer barbeques with family and friends before everyone scatters for the fall. Of course the last big hurrah is still to come – the Minnesota State Fair starts next Friday! Can’t wait to go and hope to see you there!
National Night Out
As always, National Night Out parties in Dayton, Rogers and Maple Grove were successful and fun! I made it to neighborhood parties in all three cities and really enjoyed talking with everyone! Thanks for welcoming me to your neighborhoods and sharing your concerns about traffic and construction, education and other issues.
I also really enjoyed the “kick-off parties” over lunch at the Maple Grove Community Center and the Cub in Rogers! It is always so fun to see the big police and fire rigs, meet with officers, neighbors and city leaders.
We are blessed to have great police and fire departments whose officers and volunteers serve our communities with such excellence, compassion, and courage! I hope we all continue to show our appreciation to them throughout the year!
DHS Hearing
On Tuesday, the Republican-led Minnesota Senate held a much-needed Joint Health and Human Services Hearing on the dysfunction at the Department of Human Services (DHS). As a member of the House HHS Policy Committee, I have also been calling for hearings in the House but, as of yet, have not received a reply to my formal request.
The turmoil at our state’s largest agency must be fully understood so we can implement strategies to address the problems and ensure taxpayers’ hard-earned money is being spent for the purposes intended.
It is the legislature’s constitutional obligation to provide oversight of state agencies and we must investigate these credible claims of mismanagement and dysfunction in order to fulfill our duties.
As you recall, the recent turmoil includes the resignation of the head of the agency and his chief of staff; the still unexplained resignation and then rescinding of resignations of the two Deputy Commissioners; the firing of the medical director; a threatened whistleblower; and recent revelations of $25 million in overpayments to two Native American tribes.
On Monday, Governor Walz told the press Acting DHS Commissioner Pam Wheelock would have answers to the issues at DHS. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Testimony from the former medical director at DHS and the whistleblower, and current DHS compliance officer Faye Bernstein, revealed the ongoing problems at the Department of Human Services. During her testimony, Faye Bernstein, the employee in charge of compliance, was told by DHS leadership she was “too focused on compliance” and, for a time, was banned from DHS facilities.
While I am glad the Senate held these hearings, I am disappointed by the lack of clarity we received from the administration. Governor Walz appointed the new DHS Commissioner on Monday, just prior to the hearings. Jodi Harpstead was most recently the President & CEO of Lutheran Social Services. I am hopeful she will direct her staff to be more transparent with the Legislature in future hearings. More is needed and I hope the House will soon follow suit and fulfill our obligation to provide oversight.
Camp Ripley
I was so grateful for the opportunity to meet so many Minnesota heroes with the Minnesota National Guard and Camp Ripley! These extraordinary men and women leave their families and jobs and “regular” lives to train rigorously throughout the year to be ready to defend us at home or deploy for 6-12 months around the world.
It was inspiring to meet these humble, courageous leaders who have been serving from a few years to 30 years with such excellence! We are blessed to have these heroes in our communities and this excellent training facility in our state!
Photos from the Week
Rep. Robbins on a tour of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with members of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committees.
Rep. Robbins celebrating India's Independence Day at the Capitol.
Rogers neighbors collecting school supplies during National Night Out festivities.
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance. My office phone number is 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.
Have a great summer!
Kristin
Like and follow my Facebook Page for updates throughout the week: Facebook.com/RepKristinRobbins