ST. PAUL – Rep. Scott Van Binsbergen, has signed on as an author of two bills in a series of House Republican proposals to curb fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs.
Van Binsbergen said the intent of the bills is to 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.
“Taxpayers deserve accountability and responsibility from their elected officials instead of state leaders looking the other way, offering excuses, and not holding program administrators accountable,” Van Binsbergen said. “House Republicans are working to crack down on fraud that has been allowed to run rampant in our state and ensure the tax dollars the state collects from hardworking Minnesotans reaches their intended purposes. That’s the least we can do for taxpayers.”
The first three bills House Republicans drafted in response to this issue this session 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 (sponsored by Van Binsbergen): 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 (sponsored by Van Binsbergen): 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.
Van Binsbergen said House Republicans anticipate each of the three bills will receive their first House committee hearings in the coming weeks.
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