Legislative UpdateDear neighbors, This week kicked off with a bit of… excitement. Because around here, a few inches of snow—or, you know… 18—doesn’t exactly slow things down. I’m happy to report I made it back to St. Paul safely, and business resumed as usual. I hope all of you stayed warm, safe, and maybe even got a good snowblower workout in. And just after St. Patrick’s Day, it seems the luck of the Irish may have rubbed off on us—because just in time for the weekend, we’re being rewarded with some warmer temperatures. After the week we’ve had, I’d say we’ve earned it… here’s hoping those snow boots can finally take a well-deserved break. Shutting Down a Broken System On Monday, the House took decisive action to protect taxpayer dollars by passing Representative Joe Schomacker’s bipartisan legislation to eliminate the deeply flawed Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program from state law. This program, originally intended to help vulnerable Minnesotans, instead became a magnet for fraud—costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in a scheme comparable to the ??????? of Feeding Our Future. Rather than delivering support to those in need, the program exposed serious failures in oversight and accountability. Time and again, we’ve seen what happens when safeguards aren’t strong enough. From Feeding Our Future to HSS, Minnesotans have been left footing the bill while bad actors take advantage of broken systems. That’s why this vote matters. Moving forward, any program we pass must be built with strong fraud prevention measures from the start—because protecting public dollars isn’t optional, it’s our responsibility. OLA Report Raises Serious QuestionsOn Tuesday, the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) released a report that raises important concerns about oversight and accountability within a key state program. The findings show that—despite previous claims from the Walz Administration and the Department of Human Services (DHS)—the state already had the authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks within the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program prior to a 2025 change in law. In other words, the tools to act were already there. This report highlights the importance of not just having authority on paper, but actually using it to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure programs are being run with integrity. It’s another reminder that strong oversight matters—and that Minnesotans deserve transparency, accountability, and action when concerns arise. You can read the full OLA report [here] for more details. Strengthening Transparency to Better Protect Our Kids Snowstorm or not, Monday was a big day at the Capitol. I was proud to present my bill, House File 4408, for its first hearing in the House Children and Families Committee—an important first step in the legislative process. At its core, this bill is simple, but incredibly important: transparency. When a child fatality or near fatality occurs, we owe it to Minnesotans—and especially to those children—to make sure we are learning from what happened. HF 4408 ensures that key information is made publicly available in a clear, timely way—not buried behind requests or red tape. That includes details about the circumstances, prior reports or investigations, and actions taken by agencies leading up to the incident. It also requires that review reports are published so we can identify patterns, improve systems, and prevent future tragedies. At the same time, the bill keeps strong privacy protections in place, making sure sensitive personal information and identities are safeguarded. It also strengthens the child mortality review process by improving reporting requirements and helping us better track trends over time—because if we’re not learning from the past, we’re not doing our job. These are difficult topics, but they matter. If there are gaps in the system, we have a responsibility to face them head-on and fix them. I’m grateful for the opportunity to begin this conversation and look forward to continuing the work to get this bill across the finish line. Fighting for District 11B—Every Step of the WayAs we head into the second half of the legislative session, I want you to know that you and your families are top of mind in every decision I make. In politics, talk can be cheap, but when it comes to affordability for Minnesota families, that’s not something I’m willing to compromise on. You have my commitment that I will continue working to support responsible policies and push back against proposals that make life more expensive for Minnesotans. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, concerns, or ideas. I truly appreciate hearing from you. Have a great weekend & enjoy the sunshine! — Representative Nathan Nelson |