Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  April 17, 2026 Dear Friends & Neighbors, It was another busy week at the Legislature as we made it to our final deadline for bills to make it out of committee. I had a few more bill hearings and met with many constituents who were visiting the Capitol – that is always the best part of my day! Starting next week, we will shift from primarily committee work to debating bills on the floor. The debates are long, but it is interesting to learn about issues that all of the other committees have been working on that haven’t gone through my committees. Most committees will no longer be meeting, but two of my committees, Taxes and Fraud Prevention, will continue for at least the next three weeks. As an oversight committee, our Fraud Prevention Committee is not bound by the deadlines and there are so many topics I want to try to cover before the end of the session! I’m sure you, like me, are enjoying this beautiful spring weather! I hope you all have wonderful weekend! Executive Summary- FRAUD PREVENTION COMMITTEE: GOVERNOR’S FRAUD PROPOSALS
- MINNCOR BILL MOVES AHEAD
- HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE & POLICY BILL
- LOCAL BONDING PROPOSALS HEARD
- 100% FRAUD TAX PROPOSED
- SNAP FRAUD MEETING
FRAUD PREVENTION COMMITTEE: GOVERNOR'S FRAUD PROPOSALSIn this week’s House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee, we reviewed a package put forward by Governor Walz that deals with fraud. It is a professional courtesy to hear the Governor’s proposals on fraud, but it is also important to actually crack down on fraud. We have to have bipartisan agreement for any bill to be able to pass the House, as we are tied 67-67. I support a few of the Governor’s fraud prevention proposals including: - Upgrading the IT systems counties use to verify eligibility and track benefits;
- Extending the statute of limitations to prosecute fraud crimes. The Governor proposed a one-year extension and my bill proposes a 4-year extension (from the current 6 years to 10 years).
Many of the original fraud crimes in childcare programs and Feeding our Future occurred in 2020 and 2021 and will be beyond the statute of limitations this year or next year. We MUST get this across the finish line this year so they don’t get away with it! - The Governor’s package also has several provisions to strengthen internal controls and staff training.
While I agree with these proposals, I’m concerned that they will not matter if we don’t also have an ironclad commitment to accountability. I was disappointed to have continued testimony by DHS and MMB that they don’t think anyone who fails to do their job will be fired. Instead, they talked about how they will provide additional training and support. Just the week before we had testimony from the Office of Legislative Auditor (OLA), who uncovered that DHS employees had falsified and backdated reports. Those employees should absolutely be fired, and potentially prosecuted. Unfortunately, whistleblowers who spoke up about fraud were removed from their jobs, but those who actually admitted backdating and falsifying documents are still on the job while their HR investigates. The most important element in preventing fraud is creating a no fraud, no excuses culture. In the report by Judge Tim O’Malley, the Governor’s own Program Integrity Director, the number one recommendation was to change the culture of fraud in Minnesota. While I am disappointed that many of Judge O’Malley’s practical recommendations were not included in the Governor’s proposals, I am still working hard to find fraud prevention measures where we can get bipartisan support so we can get something done to strengthen accountability this session. You can watch my summary of the hearing here. MINNCOR BILL MOVES AHEADMinnCor is the Department of Corrections’ program that gives inmates private and public sector work. My bill to ensure that the program doesn’t undercut private sector jobs was approved in the House Public Safety Committee this week. A report by the Office of Legislative Auditor (OLA) found that the Minnesota Department of Corrections has been mismanaging the program, and in doing so has been unfairly subsidizing private companies. According to the Star Tribune, MINNCOR undercharged private contractors for inmate labor and misallocated over $2 million. The DOC has assured us change will happen, but legislative action will guarantee these issues will stop. I’m pleased that the DOC was willing to work with me to fix the program, based on the OLA’s recommendations. I am optimistic it will be approved by the House and Senate before we adjourn on May 19th. HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE & POLICY BILLAs co-chair of the House Higher Education Finance Committee, I have been working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft a Higher Education bill that can be approved by the tied House in the days ahead. This is not a budget year, so this bill focuses more on specific needs and policy changes. We had bipartisan agreement on adding technology to stop fraud through “ghost students,” ensuring that students are given information to ensure they know which classes count toward their degree, and providing a small investment to reforest Bemidji State, which lost hundreds of trees in a tornado last year. We are continuing to negotiate over how to fill the hole in the state grant program, which is leaving students across the state with less money than they were originally promised in their state grant financial aid award. I am hopeful we will keep making progress to try to restore at least some of the funding and make the structural changes necessary to keep the state grant sustainable into the future. LOCAL BONDING PROPOSALS HEARDA pair of wastewater improvement bills Senator Limmer and I are carrying were heard in the House Capital Investment Committee this week. The first would allocate $5.4 million in bonding proceeds to the City of Greenfield to address failing infrastructure at its wastewater treatment facility. The second would provide $2.95 million to the City of Medina to expand its water treatment plant to address high levels of manganese in the city's water supply. Both bills are now eligible to be included in the House’s bonding bill, which is expected to be rolled out in the days ahead. All bonding projects for our district which have had hearings either last session or this year all remain eligible for the final bill. 100% FRAUD TAX PROPOSEDThis week, a bipartisan bill to recoup some of the money stolen in fraud made it through the process. I am a co-author of this bill, which would force these criminals to pay a 100% fraud tax on the amount stolen by their fraud. The tax would apply to any person or organization convicted of fraud or who receives compensation in exchange for participating in fraudulent activity. The tax collected would then be put into a tax relief account, where it could only be used for income or property tax relief. I wasn’t able to attend the press conference as I was in a previously scheduled meeting, but I am happy to support this bipartisan, bicameral effort. To watch a press conference about the bill, click here. SNAP FRAUD MEETINGToday I was pleased to meet with the Inspector General of the United States Department of Agriculture, who was in Minnesota as part of a federal crackdown on fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  The state of Minnesota receives roughly $1.4 billion a year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to administer the program, which provides more than $70 million in benefits per month to over 440,000 Minnesotans. There have been numerous allegations about fraud in the SNAP program. Some of the fraud allegations are tied to the eligibility of recipients – deceased, ineligible or people who no longer live in Minnesota receiving benefits. The other types of fraud crimes relating to SNAP are: - Cloning: creating a duplicate EBT card using stolen card information
- Skimming: illegally capturing EBT card data through devices placed on card readers
- Trafficking: selling or exchanging SNAP benefits for cash or non-eligible items
The federal government has requested that the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), which administers SNAP, turn over the list of recipients so it can verify eligibility. ALL of the funds for SNAP come from the federal government, so it should be able to get access to this data. DCYF has refused to comply with the federal data request and Minnesota Attorney General Ellison sued the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to block the order, stating it would violate privacy laws and could potentially be used as part of the Administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants. Only permanent residents (green card holders) are eligible for SNAP – undocumented immigrants are not. The litigation is on-going. DCYF admitted in December that they had “made a mistake” in their reporting to USDA, back when the benefits were administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS). The State Activity Report from fiscal year 2021 showed SNAP benefits in Minnesota jumped a whopping 173.96% from 2020 to 2021. This incorrect data has been relied on for SNAP reporting since then. Clearly, we need to recertify eligibility and correct the mistake – and any overpayments of benefits for the past 5 years. This failure to report accurate data is troubling and gets at the heart of why we need to recertify eligibility. Yesterday (Thursday), the USDA Inspector General’s office conducted raids at 22 SNAP retail locations related to possible SNAP benefits trafficking. Two criminal warrants, which remain sealed, were carried out. I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Inspector General Walk for an update on their work and am grateful for the continued work of our federal partners to help us fight fraud in state and federal programs! Please Contact MeMany 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  /RepKristinRobbins 239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |