Major Anti-Fraud Update: OIG Bill Passes House

May 8, 2026

OIG Bill Passes House 127-5

Friends and neighbors,

In a major victory for Minnesota taxpayers, we successfully passed the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) bill off the House floor yesterday with a vote of 127-5.

A significant number of Republican and Democrat voters believe that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison intentionally ignored our state's fraud epidemic for political expediency.

The establishment of an Office of the Inspector General will fix this problem by creating an apolitical, independent agency to combat and prosecute fraud.

In order to ensure that the OIG remains nonpartisan, a commission of equal representation of Republicans and Democrats will vet and vote on candidates for the Inspector General role. The Governor will then pick one of these candidates, and they will be confirmed by a three-fifths majority in the Senate to serve a five-year term.

In a time of heightened political polarization, I am glad that public demands for accountability have resonated with my DFL colleagues. They nearly unanimously voted for the bill, despite Governor Walz not wanting it to pass. He accurately views the fact that we needed to establish a new agency to fix the fraud epidemic as a poor reflection on his leadership.

Passing the OIG bill was an admirable display of bipartisan coordination and the type of practical legislating that Minnesotans deserve.

The OIG bill will now move to the Senate for final confirmation and then on to Governor Walz to sign it into law. Given the media attention around this subject, we expect that he will do so.

DFL Blocks Removing the Deceased From Minnesota Voter Rolls

This week, House Democrats voted down my amendment that would have required the removal of deceased voters from the statewide voter registration system. For those who care about election integrity, this seems like it should be common sense.

As a member of the Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee, it is my duty to ensure that the public has faith in our election process. I will continue to advocate for bills and amendments that restore trust in government.

Click HERE to watch my comments and the floor vote.

Working Together for the Rochester Area

Also this week, Rep. Kim Hicks (D-Rochester) authored an amendment to allow the City of Rochester and Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) to enter into up to a 50-year agreement regarding the use of RCTC athletic facilities. There has been cooperation between the city and the college for several decades, but it has not been formalized as well as it could be. The language in this amendment will enable long-term, formal, cooperation for decades to come. 

Even though I am on a different side of the political aisle from Rep. Hicks, I spoke up strongly and voted alongside her on this amendment, as this is the right thing to do for the good of the community. 

With just over a week left until the end of the 2026 Legislative Session, we still have many bills to vote on. I look forward to keeping you up to date.

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