Today Senate Republicans rolled out several new bills to continue the fight against fraud that has plagued the state’s support programs. The bills aim to improve accountability within state government, support the use of technology to streamline delivery and verification of services, and give the legislature rigorous oversight of taxpayer’s dollars and the administration of these programs.  

“If there’s one thing I’ve heard repeatedly from Minnesotans, it’s that they are fed up with the continued fraud, and they are tired of their government doing nothing to address it,” said Senator Karin Housley (R-Stillwater). “Because of the fraud, many of our most vulnerable populations have been unable to access services they desperately need, and in some tragic cases, it’s led to the passing of loved ones. It’s unconscionable that these things are happening right here in our state, yet nothing has been done.”

Senate Republicans are introducing a slate of proposed legislation to accomplish 3 key goals: implementing stricter legislative oversight, supporting technology to streamline verification and delivery of services, and improving overall accountability in state government.

Bills in the package include the following:

• Requiring that commissioners once again be confirmed within 60 days of being appointed
• Requiring audits to be conducted by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) of any program that experiences a 5% increase over projected spending, and if services exceed projections by 10% or more, those programs would require additional review and involvement by the legislature
• Increasing electronic verification when a provider visits a client, ensuring that clients are receiving the services they are billed for
• Adding strict verification of eligibility by requiring managed care organizations to confirm client eligibility before full reimbursement, and would withhold 5% of payments to the MCO until all eligibility checks are complete
• Addressing state employees who have falsified paperwork during an audit by making these actions a crime
• Adding a requirement to reinstate Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General reports detailing fraud efforts, including cases under investigation, and funds recovered
• Mandating unannounced in-person visits to every business receiving taxpayer funding through the Department of Human Services or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families

“With the fraud total continuing to climb higher and higher, families expect us to get this done. These are basic, commonsense changes that would address the fraud and let Minnesotans know we’re hearing their concerns and we’re taking this situation seriously,” finished Housley.