Legislative Update from Rep. Kristin Robbins

April 11, 2026

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

It was such a busy week back at the Capitol since the Easter/Passover break that I ran out of time to get my newsletter done before the end of the day on Friday!  I am now writing it on Friday evening, but I don’t think it will get posted until Monday – I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Executive Summary

REPORTS ON DHS STAFF FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS AND IGNORING KICKBACKS

PRESERVING GIRLS’ SPORTS ACT FAILS BY ONE VOTE

ADDRESSING SKYROCKETING VEHICLE TAB FEES

CHIROPRACTIC CARE TAX RELIEF BILL MOVES FORWARD

MAPLE PLAIN FIRE DEPARTMENT PENSION BILL RECEIVES APPROVAL

PRISON LABOR UNDERCUTTING PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESSES

REPORTS ON DHS STAFF FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS AND IGNORING KICKBACKS

We had another frustrating hearing in the House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee this week. The nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) discussed two recent audits of programs in the Department of Human Services. Investigators found employees backdated and falsified documents in the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and, separately, that the agency failed to investigate kickbacks, even though it has the authority and duty to do so.

You read that correctly. Employees in the Walz Administration were found to have actively hidden or ignored Minnesota’s fraud problems.

In January, the OLA audited the Behavioral Health Administration's approximately $200 million in annual grant funds to mental health and drug and alcohol addiction providers. Shockingly, the report found that not only did state employees mismanage the grant money, but they also participated in a cover up by fabricating documents to cover their tracks. And it didn’t happen just once.

The OLA found the agency’s actions were a “systemic” problem. During its audit, multiple DHS employees created new documents or backdated others in hopes of throwing up a smokescreen and evading further scrutiny of their actions.

In a second report investigating kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (autism) program, the OLA found three instances where credible complaints that autism providers had offered kickbacks to parents to bring or transfer their children to the provider for autism services. All three times, its Office of Inspector General closed the complaints without investigation, stating DHS did not have the statutory authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks alone.

In fact, the OLA found that DHS had the authority to investigate and sanction providers for “credible allegations of fraud,” including kickbacks, because they had the authority under federal law to investigate kickbacks as outlined in the federal Social Security statute. 

It is amazing that the agency incorrectly created a rule that allows it to misinterpret the statute and then, based on its own failures, continues to claim that it can’t stop kickback payments.

Bottom line: it’s tough to stop fraud when agency officials are actively participating in it.

To hear some of my comments during the hearing, click here.

PRESERVING GIRLS' SPORTS ACT FAILS BY ONE VOTE

Recently the State of Minnesota was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to adhere to Title IX, which requires that schools provide boys and girls an equal opportunity to play sports.

According to the DOJ complaint, the Department of Education and the State High School League have discriminated against girls by allowing boys to compete against girls in their sports leagues and allowing boys into girls’ intimate spaces, such as locker rooms and bathrooms. Allowing boys to compete against girls in sports is a clear violation of Title IX.

This week, the Minnesota House of Representatives debated the Preserving Girls Sports Act on the House floor. All 67 Republicans voted for the proposal, and all 66 Democrats voted against it. Because 68 votes are needed for legislation to be approved in the Minnesota House, the Preserving Girls Sports Act failed to pass by one vote.

As a mom of three girls who played high school sports, I support protecting girls’ sports and ensuring safe and fair competition for girls and women in Minnesota. I was surprised and disappointed that not a single Democrat stood up for female athletes in our state. Nothing in this bill prevents a child from joining a sports team, but it would uphold Title IX by ensuring that they play on the team that aligns with their biological sex. I hope we can revisit this issue again before the end of session. The girls who train so hard deserve fair, safe competition and the opportunity to win championships and earn scholarships for the accomplishments. 

To watch my House floor comments, click here.

ADDRESSING SKYROCKETING VEHICLE TAB FEES

If you’ve received a vehicle tab renewal notice in the mail recently, you’re probably experiencing sticker shock.

I’ve heard reports of vehicle tabs costing more than $800 for a three-year-old truck or other relatively new vehicle. Meanwhile in Wisconsin, which has flat tab fees, the cost for that same truck would be $85.

Our current high tab fees were enacted in 2023, when Democrats had full control of the House, Senate and Governor’s Office. They changed the depreciation schedule, which effectively raised our tab fees by 20%. Most Minnesotans are just feeling the effects of this tax increase as their renewals come due and it has been a hardship for many families and seniors.

The House also considered a bill this week that would bring Minnesota’s vehicle tab fees back to pre-2023 levels. The bill debated would have dropped the rates on both newer and older vehicles. Doing so would have provided nearly $1 billion in tax relief for drivers, and likely hundreds of dollars in savings to you.

All Republicans supported the measure, and all Democrats voted against it.

Democrats cite MnDOT funding concerns as their reason for opposing fee reductions, but Wisconsin has the same harsh winters as Minnesota. Why should Minnesotans pay over four times more than our neighbors for the same infrastructure services? Democrats have increased our taxes to such an extent that Minnesota now ranks 7th in the nation for overall tax burden, which makes life unaffordable for many. 

We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem. Rather than continuing to raise taxes on hard-working families and seniors we need to get spending out of control and stop the billions in fraud.

Current fraud projections suggest the amount stolen from Minnesota taxpayers could have fully funded MnDOT for years. Every Minnesota driver should not have to suffer due to the failure of the Walz Administration to safeguard our tax dollars.

CHIROPRACTIC CARE TAX RELIEF BILL MOVES FORWARD

My bill to exempt chiropractors from the state’s 1.8% provider tax was heard in the House taxes committee this week.

During the 2025 session, the legislature removed chiropractic care for adults as a benefit under medical assistance. Despite not being able to get reimbursed for serving Medicaid patients, chiropractors are still required to pay the tax. My bill would correct this unfair situation and has bipartisan support. An alternative proposal would keep the tax in place but restore the ability for chiropractors to provide care to Medicaid patients. I would be happy to support either solution and look forward to working with my colleagues and the chiropractors to get this fixed. 

MAPLE PLAIN FIRE DEPARTMENT PENSION BILL RECEIVES APPROVAL

This week my bill, HF 3512, to provide closure for the Maple Plain Fire Relief Association’s pension plan was approved in the Pensions Committee. The bill enacts a unique solution, supported by the majority of the firefighters, for how best to handle closure of the pension fund, which was necessitated when the Fire Department was closed after 100 years of serving our community.   

I’m so grateful for the hard work by the City of Maple Plain, the Maple Plain Firefighters Relief Association and our AMAZING professional staff on the Pension Commission! Everyone worked tirelessly over many months and several iterations to find a way to close the pension fund in a way that was supported by the community!

This is a huge win for our local firefighters, and I am happy to have helped carry this legislation on their behalf!

PRISON LABOR UNDERCUTTING PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESSES

For years, the Minnesota Department of Corrections has been misallocating the money it receives from companies who employ prison labor, which has resulted in undercutting private sector jobs in our state. According to the Star Tribune, MINNCOR undercharged private contractors for prisoner labor and misallocated over $2 million. I heard from a local manufacturer in our district who lost contracts to prison labor competition.

Additionally, the OLA released a special review recently which noted several failures with the program and recommended the legislature take action despite the DOC assuring changes will be implemented.

Legislation I'm chief authoring fixes these issues by changing how MINNCOR operates when it uses prison labor for private sector contracts. I have been working on this for over two years with the Dept of Corrections, the OLA and the impacted businesses. I am pleased we found a solution that everyone can support and I am optimistic this bill will make it through the process after years of work! 

Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn.gov. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I’d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting. 

Have a great weekend!

Kristin