ST. PAUL – House Majority Leader Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, is an author of three bills House Republicans have introduced in a series of efforts to curb fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs.
Niska said the bills will 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.
“A lack of oversight in state programs has been a big problem in Minnesota that we need to correct,” Niska said. “House Republicans took one big step by establishing a new Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy this session. Now, we are following up that groundwork with bills I’ve co-sponsored to better protect public tax dollars establish and establish new criminal penalties for violations.”
The first three bills House Republicans drafted and Niska co-authored to address this issue 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. This bill emphasizes transparency and swift action to address fraud concerns.
- 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.
Niska said House Republicans anticipate each of the three bills will receive their first House committee hearings in the coming weeks.
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