Today Senate Republicans rolled out several new bills as part of an action plan to stop the fraud that has plagued the state’s support programs. The bills give the legislature stricter oversight of taxpayer’s dollars and the administration of these programs, support the use of technology to streamline delivery and verification of services, and provide better accountability within state government.

Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch) discussed the need for the state to engage third-party vendors to routinely check providers and recipients for eligibility, as well as to flag suspicious activity.

“While Minnesota’s generous systems have been unusually pilfered by bad actors, other states use simple and accessible software to assist with verification,” said Sen. Koran. “Minnesota needs a highly intensive eligibility process to ensure that everyone who is entitled to benefits gets those benefits. The tools are out there, Minnesota just needs to invest in them.”

Sen. Koran also proposed a bill to address egregious behavior by state employees who falsified paperwork during an audit. The nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor documented this issue, which was revealed in a hearing earlier this year. At the time of the press conference, no confirmation existed that any employee had been disciplined. Sen. Koran’s bill would make falsifying records by a state employee a crime.

“It’s hard to believe we would need to tell employees not to falsify records,” Sen. Koran said. “But past behavior suggests that this is a problem. Adding criminal penalties tells our workforce that we are serious about holding everyone accountable to stop fraud.”

The bill will soon receive an official number from the Revisor’s Office.