Dear Neighbor,
This week at the Legislature brought many more bills than the first. From common-sense fraud prevention to unconstitutional gun bans, the bills were all across the board. I am happy to share the highlights with you here.
An update on the OIG bill
Representative Jim Nash, co-chair of the State Government Committee, was in control of the committee this week and brought SF856 up again. As I shared last week, this bill would establish an independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG). After a DFL Representative offered an amendment to gut the whole bill and make it essentially useless, we needed to bring the bill back up for serious consideration. Although we had hopes for bipartisan support, with several amendments approved by both sides, the DFL committee members voted the bill down again. We will continue to work on advancing this bill, and I am hopeful now knowing that the bipartisan working group is meeting again next week. Stay tuned for further updates.
Fighting the Fraud
In addition to working on the OIG bill, we are taking other steps to restore accountability and protect taxpayer dollars. First, the House Human Services Committee passed HF3379 to repeal Housing Stabilization Services, a program that was riddled with fraud and misuse. When a program is repeatedly defrauded instead of serving those it was intended to help, it is our responsibility to step in and make necessary policy changes. Second, serious concerns have been raised about autism services. According to the Optum review, nearly 90 percent of claims were flagged for further review, a very high percentage that points to significant weaknesses in oversight and safeguards. Taxpayers deserve confidence that these services are delivered properly. Third, the Optum report itself was released in a form that is almost completely redacted, limiting transparency and preventing lawmakers and the public from fully understanding what the issues are. That is why HF3378 was filed to require the department to release the report with as few redactions as possible. If we are serious about stopping fraud, we need access to the information in the report to make policy decisions moving forward.
An assault on the Second Amendment
While we should be focused on advancing legislation to stop fraud and strengthen oversight, the DFL introduced two bills this week to ban semi-automatic firearms and magazines holding more than 10 rounds. These proposals are blatantly unconstitutional and have no realistic path to passage, making it frustrating to see valuable legislative time spent on political messaging rather than pressing issues facing Minnesotans. As a member of the Elections and Education Finance Committee, I had the opportunity to stand up against these gun control bills this week and voice strong opposition. Alongside my GOP colleagues, we were able to stop these bills from moving forward. I will continue to defend the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and oppose legislation that would criminalize responsible gun owners.
Upcoming bills
Next week, on Monday, I will be presenting two bills to the Elections Committee. These bills are HF3587 and HF3589. The first bill would require elections judges who are assisting voters outside of a polling place to handle one ballot at a time. The second bill clarifies the rules about a voter leaving the polling place after receiving their ballot and returning to complete it, at the discretion of the head election judge. These are both simple and common sense bills meant to tighten up and clarify our election practices to ensure that we maintain security and integrity. I look forward to sharing updates on these bills with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Jimmy