Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  July 17, 2026 Dear Friends and Neighbors, I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend and have been enjoying this gorgeous Minnesota summer! I know the recent fires near the Boundary Waters have affected family vacations and even our local events. I was supportive, but disappointed, that the Maple Grove Days parade was cancelled last night, but the most important thing is that everyone is safe. Please read more on that below! As regular readers know, this will be my last update until after the November election. Under state law, legislators are prohibited from sending unsolicited correspondence after July 17, which represents the 60th day after the legislature adjourned for the year. Even though I am retiring, the law applies to all legislators. That means this will be my final legislative update until after the November election. You can still contact me and I can respond to individual emails. I just cannot send out official mass communications after July 17th. I look forward to catching up with everyone after the election in November! I wish you and your families a joy-filled rest of the summer and a great fall! Executive Summary- CHILD CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS EXPAND
- PAID FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE UPDATE
- WILDFIRE UPDATE
CHILD CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS EXPANDA recent KSTP investigation revealed that Minnesota currently has 436 open investigations involving publicly funded child care providers, highlighting on-going concerns about potential fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The large number of investigations demonstrates that the Dept. of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is starting to take the concerns that the House Fraud Prevention Committee, whistleblowers and investigative journalists seriously. It also shows that the Walz Administration’s failure to act since the Office of Legislative Auditor’s (OLA) reports were released in early 2019 has allowed this problem to fester and grow for years. As you may recall, in January 2025 we had the first reports that there were 62 active childcare investigations underway at DHS. The House Fraud Prevention Committee held a hearing on CCAP Fraud in February 2025. Prior to the hearing I sent them a letter with a list of 72 childcare centers about which our staff had concerns. The “Early Learing Center” childcare center, whose owner, Fahima Mahamud recently pled guilty recently, was #1 on the list and Minnesota’s Best Childcare center, whose owners were recently charged with tax fraud, was #5 on the list. To my knowledge, DHS did not investigate the list. In fact, in April of 2026, DCYF Commissioner Brown testified in our committee that they had investigated the “Early Learing Center” and did not find fraud. While I am grateful DCYF has started ramping up investigations, I’m concerned that they seem to be slow-rolling a law we passed in 2025 to require electronic attendance records for childcare centers, which will make it easier to spot and stop fraud. In the KSTP interview linked above, DCYF officials admitted that just 81 childcare providers (less than 10%) are using the electronic attendance records and that state officials have not established a timeline for expanding the system statewide. Until this system is fully implemented, opportunities for fraud and improper payments will continue. Minnesotans expect taxpayer-funded programs to be administered with transparency, accountability, and rigorous oversight. Every dollar lost to fraud or abuse is a dollar diverted from families who legitimately depend on childcare assistance. The launch of electronic attendance verification is an important first step, but the system has to be fully implemented to work. Even more importantly, we have to ensure that agency officials are checking the attendance records against the billing BEFORE they approve payment. Unless agencies are actually using the data, we will not stop fraud. PAID FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE UPDATESix months into Minnesota's new Paid Family and Medical Leave program, the early numbers are already raising concerns about whether the program is going to cause major financial problems in the future, and whether your taxes will be increased to keep it afloat. In its story, Minnesota Paid Leave has paid out nearly double what workers, employers have paid in, KSTP highlights some of the growing concerns. More than 92,000 leave applications have already been approved, putting the program on pace to exceed 184,000 claims in its first year. This is far above the original projection of 130,000. When actual usage dramatically outpaces expectations this early, it is a red flag that program costs will far exceed what was anticipated. The data also shows that nearly two-thirds of approved applications have come from employees at businesses with 200 or more workers. Yet supporters frequently argued the program was needed because employees of small businesses often lacked access to paid leave benefits. Instead, many small employers – and by extension, their employees - are now paying into a state-run system that appears to be used disproportionately by workers at larger companies that likely were already offering their employees a leave benefit package. The program is paid for through a wage tax of 0.88% that is split between employers and employees. Under state law, DEED has the authority to increase the tax up to a 1.1% cap. A required actuarial study will be conducted in the next few weeks to determine if a tax increase will be required. Unfortunately, Democrats passed this program knowing it would be in deficit back in 2023 when they had the trifecta. An actuarial study at the time, which forecast a lower usage rate, showed that the tax would have to be 0.96% just to break even. They created a program they knew would be in deficit, but they didn’t want to pass it with tax required to pay for it. This is bad policymaking and now Minnesotans are facing the possibility of another tax increase. WILDFIRE UPDATEWith wildfire smoke affecting air quality across Minnesota, I wanted to share a few helpful links so you can receive the most current information: - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) – Current Air Quality Conditions is Minnesota's official source for current Air Quality Index (AQI) conditions, air quality alerts, forecasts, and health recommendations.
- EPA AirNow provides real-time AQI conditions, forecasts, and health guidance nationwide.
- AirNow Fire and Smoke Map is an interactive map showing wildfire smoke, air quality monitors, and fire locations. This is especially helpful for tracking smoke impacts in specific areas.
- For official updates on active wildfires in Minnesota, including incident information, closures, and firefighting efforts, you’ll want to visit Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) – Wildfire Updates.
SIGNING OFF, FOR NOWAs I said at the beginning, I won’t be sending another update until November. Meanwhile, know that my office remains open and is available to assist with state-related questions and constituent services you may have. The best way to contact me is via email: Rep.Kristin.Robbins@house.mn.gov. Enjoy the rest of your summer!   /RepKristinRobbins 239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |