Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House. I hope you have been enjoying your summer and have been able to take advantage of the nice weather! Here’s a look at some of my latest legislative notes:
Assassination attempt
As a staunch supporter of free speech and someone who stands firmly against political violence, I see an attack against any candidate as an attack on our system of government. This was the case last weekend, when Americans’ right to a peaceful assembly was infringed upon by someone committing a heinous act of violence by attempting to assassinate Donald Trump.
This political violence must not be tolerated and I hope we can stand unified as Americans in condemning this act and defending our foundational rights.
Fraud remains a concern
Reports indicate Minnesota autism centers are now being investigated for possible Medicaid fraud. Reports show that the number of providers has increased 700% in the last five years, and payments to those providers has exploded by 3,000%. Sources who administer Medical Assistance see widespread concern about fraud in the program.
This is just the latest in a series of fraud cases that have arisen in Minnesota, with taxpayers taking the hit each time. I mentioned in a previous email the Minnesota Legislative Auditor issued a pair of reports indicating failed oversight has led to hundreds of millions of tax dollars being lost to fraud.
Last month, the OLA reported lax administration created opportunities for an estimated $250 million in taxpayer revenue to be the subject of fraud in the Feeding our Future program. That news came just after the OLA reported it found frontline worker payments were made to people who were not eligible or whose eligibility could not be determined. This included fraudulent duplicate applications including many from people who were deceased long before this program opened. In addition, the Department of Revenue did not verify all applicants met the adjusted gross income requirements.
This rampant fraud on taxpayers has to stop, but it won't until we free our state from one-party control at the Capitol that has failed to take meaningful steps toward accountability. It's that simple.
The frontline worker OLA report can be found here and the Feeding Our Future OLA report can be found here.
Letter to AG Ellison
Rep. Jim Nash and I have been working to hold Attorney General Ellison accountable on how his office is spending our tax dollars. We wrote him a letter seeking answers regarding his office’s use of a San Francisco-based law firm in its “climate deception” lawsuit against the oil industry. Ellison and his office were not transparent with the Legislature in retaining a private firm to help lead their climate change litigation.
This is the second letter we have sent to Ellison on this subject in recent months. So far, important questions remain unanswered. We will stay on top of this issue and continue pressing the AG for answers citizens deserve.
Click here for a recent article on this issue, and the full letter we wrote to the AG is at this link.
60-day rule
This week brings us to 60 days removed from the end of the 2024 legislative session, at which point House members are prohibited from sending e-newsletters such as this until after the November election. In the meantime, I of course will continue working hard to represent the people of our district and remain available to help any way I can. As always, your correspondence is welcome and I invite you to share your thoughts and/or concerns on whatever issues are most important to you.
Until next time, have a great rest of your summer and hope to see you around the district. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Harry