Legislative Update from Rep. Kristin Robbins

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February 27, 2026

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

The Minnesota House is back on its normal schedule, and we had our first full week of committee hearings and floor sessions.

Numerous bills were debated in the Fraud Prevention, Higher Education, and Tax Committees on which I serve.  It was also wonderful to have so many constituents back at the Capitol.  Thanks so much to everyone who comes to advocate for the issues important to you!  More on those later in this newsletter.

Executive Summary

• Addressing Fraud in Autism Services Programs
• Democrats Block Office of Inspector General Bill Again
• School Safety Proposals Move Forward
• Budget Forecast Update
• Photos

ADDRESSING FRAUD IN AUTISM SERVICES PROGRAMS

On Monday, officials from the Department of Human Services testified before the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee about a recent Optum report that found 90% of claims billed for autism services may be fraudulent.  This is a staggering finding.

Equally, stunning was that the vast majority of the report was REDACTED.  This is incredibly frustrating for us, as an oversight committee.  If we cannot see the findings regarding failures and weaknesses in internal controls and administration that led to this finding, how can we hold the agency accountable and track improvements?

In addition, I have met with county commissioners and legitimate providers who are equally frustrated with the vast number of redactions.  Counties implement these autism programs, and the redactions make it impossible to know what steps to take to address vulnerabilities and improve oversight. 

Among the findings that weren’t redacted, the analysis found the number of autism service providers jumped from 41 to 328 over a five-year span – an 800% increase.  In the last year, the number continued to rise – estimated at 500 during committee testimony, which would be an increase of 1200%!  This should have been a glaring red flag.

In addition to this explosion of new providers, the report detailed how some providers were missing very basic information, such as phone numbers or websites, yet were successfully billing the State of Minnesota. 

Also, the amount billed per recipient increased a whopping 3000% over 5 years – another glaring red flag that was ignored.  I honestly don’t know how this level of growth didn’t automatically trigger an audit of this program years ago.

It is just the latest in a constant, never-ending stream of red flags about improper billing that have contributed to at least $9 billion being stolen by people who seek to scam our system. And it is another example of DHS’ lack of transparency, which leads to lack of accountability, from the Walz administration.

Rooting out fraud is my top legislative priority. Our fraud committee will continue to shine a bright light on the government agencies that have allowed this epidemic to fester and question why the administration is doing little to stop it.

DEMOCRATS BLOCK OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL BILL AGAIN

For the second time in a week, House Democrats stopped bipartisan legislation that would create an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the State of Minnesota.

OIG legislation would create an inspector who has true independence from the Governor and actual law enforcement and investigative authority. Most importantly, it would not be appointed or controlled by the Governor’s Office, which would increase accountability and trust in government.

Last year, this legislation — authored in the Senate by a Democrat — passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, by a vote of 60-7.  However, when the bill reached the evenly divided Minnesota House, House Democrats blocked it from even receiving a vote.

On February 19, Republicans attempted to once again bring the bill to the House floor, so we could finally pass this important bill, which passed the Senate last spring.

Every single House Democrat voted against allowing it to move forward. Earlier this week, Democrats on the Minnesota House State Government Finance Committee shot down another effort to advance similar legislation out of the committee.

At the heart of the disagreement is OIG independence. House Democrats have pushed to strip the “independent” authority from the OIG and give the administration more influence over its operations. House and Senate Republicans — joined by Senate Democrats — strongly oppose that change.

The public is fed up with the criminal theft of our tax dollars and the lack of action to get real accountability.  Every time House Democrats block attempts to move this bill forward, it shows they are still more interested in protecting Governor Walz and criminals than stopping the fraud.

To view my floor speech on this nonsense, click the video below.

SCHOOL SAFETY PROPOSALS MOVE FORWARD

The tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last summer highlighted again that that school safety is a critical need at all schools in Minnesota, not just public schools.

This week, the House Education Finance Committee debated several proposals that are designed to make sure every school has the resources it needs to protect students, teachers, and staff.

The proposals included funding for security upgrades to school facilities; providing grant funding so private, charter and tribal schools would have dedicated safe schools funding in order to make security investments; and providing funding for non-public schools for building and cybersecurity grants. All of these proposals were held over for possible inclusion in a comprehensive education finance bill that will be put together as session continues. 

I am also authoring a bill, HF3529, to ensure that all students receive public safety aid, regardless of whether they attend public, private or charter schools.  Currently, state public safety aid for schools only goes to public schools. 

My legislation would treat school safety funding the same way we treat funding for textbooks, transportation and school nurses - the money follows the child, regardless of what type of school they attend. 

Parents expect and deserve to know their children are safe at school. Every student in Minnesota should have access to public safety funding, whether they attend a public, private or charter school.  

I am hopeful my bill will receive a hearing soon and will keep you updated on its progress.

BUDGET FORECAST UPDATE

Minnesota’s economic experts unveiled our latest state budget forecast today, and the long-term outlook remains bleak.

For the current biennium, Minnesota is expected to see a $3.7 billion surplus in the current budget year (Fiscal Year 26-27), which is an increase of $1.3 billion from the November forecast. The surplus in the “tails,” Fiscal Year 2028-29, is now projected to be $377 million.

This improvement in the forecast is largely due to the improved national economic outlook.  The forecast predicts:

• Increased economic growth or GDP
• Increased consumer spending
• Increases in wages/capital gains; and
• Lower inflation

Unfortunately, due to Democrats’ mismanagement of the budget in 2023-2024, when they had full control of state government, we continue to see spending increases outpace revenue gains, leaving us with a structural deficit of $3.4 billion.

Democrats’ decision to spend our entire $18 billion surplus two years ago, while raising taxes on Minnesotans by another $11 billion, left us with a $6 billion deficit we are still trying to climb out of. 

Under Gov. Walz and Democrat control, our state budget has ballooned from $48 billion to $71 billion, which is completely unsustainable. Minnesota cannot afford this explosion in state spending, and we have to find ways to reduce the growth of government and cut duplicative programs if we are going to balance the budget, as is required by the State Constitution.

Our current economic policies are driving people out of our state in droves and making it hard for our businesses to compete. We need to balance the budget and enact common sense tax and regulatory policies that encourage investment, which will drive job creation and economic growth. We cannot tax our way out of this long-term deficit.

PHOTOS

I enjoyed meeting with Maple Grove City leaders at the Municipal Legislative Commission’s annual session priorities breakfast recently.

The AXE was back this week for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Day at the Capitol! We won the first border battle in 1890 as Minnesota beat Wisconsin 63-0.

It was great to talk to so many dairy farmers at the Minnesota Dairy Day reception this week! Farmers need tax and regulatory reform so they can continue to provide dairy products for all of us and pass their farms to the next generation!

North Hennepin Community College students also visited the Capitol this week! They were terrific advocates for the state grant, campus improvements and campus safety!

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!