Update: All Things Cybersecurity & School Safety

April 17, 2026

Winona Cyberattack & IT Systems Update

Friends and neighbors,

For security purposes, there is still a lot of information that law enforcement has yet to release regarding last week's cyberattack. However, the Winona Post did an excellent job this week covering the latest news.

Click HERE to read the Winona Post cyberattack update.

As law enforcement carries out its investigation, I thought it would be a good time to fill you in on what we have been doing at the State Legislature to strengthen Minnesota's outdated information and technology systems.

Some of these systems, such as our MAXIS software (used by state and county employees to determine eligibility for public assistance programs), are now nearly 40 years old! These antiquated systems expose us to the risk of malware attacks, and they lack much-needed artificial intelligence features that would be able to flag fraud before criminals are able to steal our hard-earned tax dollars.

House Republicans have spearheaded several IT modernization bills this year that I am in favor of:

• HF4808: Establishes the Technology Obsolescence Reduction Keystone (TORK) account to modernize outdated state and local government IT systems.
• HF1911: Appropriates funds for fiscal year 2026 to support county-level service delivery transformation and information technology modernization within human services.
• HF4523: Establishes a systems modernization pilot project advisory group to fund technological updates for state human services, aiming to improve efficiency, strengthen program integrity, and reduce error rates in legacy systems like MAXIS, PRISM, and MMIS. Focuses on implementing artificial intelligence, automated data verification, and user interface improvements.

In the wake of the repeated cyberattacks against us in recent months, I am making our voice heard at the State Legislature to advocate for IT funding at the state, county, and local levels. It will be expensive, but it will be worth it.

School Safety Update

My top priority at the State Legislature has always been to ensure that Minnesota remains a place where families can thrive. To achieve this, we need to ensure that our children are safe in school.

This week, I was proud to be part of a school safety plan that includes:

• $50 million in one-time grants for school facility upgrades in public and
  non-public schools.
• $50 million per year increase in safe schools revenue.
• $2.5 million per year increase in funding for school-linked mental health
  grants.
• Anonymous Threat Reporting System Opt-In.
• Increased flexibility for Student Support Personnel Aid revenue.
• $500,000 in one-time funding for School Safety Plans Opt-In.
• K-3 Dismissal Reform.

Given the hyper-partisan times that we are living in, and the fact that Minnesota currently has a split government, there are a lot of issues at the State Capitol that legislators do not agree on. Rather than focusing on debates that will not be resolved this session, it is my mission to find commonsense solutions everyone can agree on. I will continue to advocate for passing the above proposals, as it would be a major step forward for safeguarding our children against both external and internal threats.

I am honored to be a part of these important IT and school safety initiatives. Our tax dollars should be going towards infrastructure that makes us all safer.

Please Contact Me

Pease be sure to contact me to share your questions, comments, and concerns. I can be reached at 651-296-8637 or rep.aaron.repinski@house.mn.gov. 

Have a good day,

Aaron

/RepAaronRepinski

2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.8637