Session Begins

February 20, 2026

Session Begins

Friends and neighbors,

The 2026 Legislative Session began this week with a touching tribute to House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.

Melissa Hortman and I served together for many years. We talked frequently, and I’m happy that I regularly made her chuckle during the tough days. We both strove to advance the interests, and improve the lives, of our constituents.

Speaker Hortman will be greatly missed.

Federal Fraud Investigations Underway

Last year, our House Republican Caucus sent a letter to the President and the US Department of Justice, urging them to help us investigate and prosecute fraud in our state. I am pleased to inform you that this request has been answered, and that the federal government is surging resources from the US Treasury Department to conduct forensic fraud audits across Minnesota. The Treasury Department is deploying their Financial Crimes Enforcement Network software, the best of its kind in the world, to pinpoint suspicious wire transfer activity. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has assured us that he and his team will be going back through years of records to root out and prosecute the criminals who took advantage of the goodwill of Minnesotans.

As a fellow taxpayer, I share your outrage over the egregious mismanagement of our hard-earned money. These investigations will take time. However, with the expertise of the federal government now on our side, the criminals who stole our money will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

Preventing Future Fraud

While I’m happy to be a part of ensuring accountability for the criminals, I realize that accountability for past crimes is not enough. It has been alarming to hear from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) that employees of state agencies have falsified documents, in an attempt to cover up the magnitude of the fraud and hide their lack of proper oversight. We must act with decisiveness and pass legislation to ensure that this type of industrialized fraud can never happen again. That is why I have been working on, and am introducing, a bipartisan bill with DFL Senator Ann Rest, which will have the OLA working directly with the Revisor's Office in the drafting of a legal framework to improve the oversight process, strengthen enforcement, and prevent fraud. 

Currently, even though the OLA performs highly impressive investigative work, they do not have enforcement powers. This bill will implement the recommendations that agencies have a habit of ignoring. I am encouraged by the bipartisan support that our bill has received thus far and will be providing updates on its progress.

Pre-Construction Water Quality Testing

Many of you have contacted me about water quality in our area as it pertains to contamination from different projects. This year, I introduced H. F. 3394, which will require developers in rural areas to conduct baseline groundwater quality tests before construction. In this way, citizens who have been harmed by poor water quality as the result of a construction project will have a documented past water quality sample to reference in order to prove cause in litigation.

Because of your feedback, we have the ability to make meaningful change to improve our community, and the state at large. 

I look forward to continuing to update you on this, along with a host of other issues, as the Legislative Session moves forward.

Please Stay in Touch 

Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts or concerns. My phone number is 651-296-9236 or you can email me at rep.duane.quam@house.mn.

Have a great weekend!

Duane

/RepDuaneQuam

2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.9236