Office of the Inspector General Bill Passes House Friends and neighbors, I am thrilled to share with you that my bipartisan Office of the Inspector General (OIG) bill has passed the House 127-5. This is a major win for Minnesota taxpayers and anyone who has been calling for action against fraud. This bill creates a brand-new, independent, apolitical watchdog agency — the Office of the Inspector General — with sweeping authority to investigate and prosecute fraud. Your hard-earned taxpayer dollars will now be safeguarded with the oversight that you deserve. Last year, I introduced HF1, which was our Republican version of the bill. This became the catalyst for conversations that later turned into SF856, the bipartisan piece of legislation that passed today. Through coordination with Sen. Heather Gustafson (D-Vadnais Heights), Rep. Matt Norris (D-Blaine), and Sen. Michael Kreun (R-Blaine), we were able to create and pass a commonsense bill that Minnesotans across the political spectrum should find reassurance in. To ensure that the OIG remains apolitical, the bill also establishes a Legislative Inspector General Advisory Commission that will select candidates to lead the agency. The Commission will be composed of eight members: two from each party from both the House and Senate. To receive a recommendation by the Commission, a candidate must be approved by five of its eight members. The Governor will then appoint one of the candidates approved by the Commission, and a three-fifths vote in the Senate will confirm the nominee to serve a five-year term as Inspector General. Passing the OIG bill is the culmination of two years of hard work and negotiation. The bill will now move to the Senate for a pre-negotiated affirmation, and then be sent to the Governor to be signed into law. In a time of hyper-polarization, I am proud to be able to find solutions for Minnesota taxpayers. Solving our fraud epidemic is why I ran for office, and I am thankful to you for putting me in the position to make positive change. |