Lang: Week 2 Legislative Updates

4 days ago

Friends and neighbors,

It should come as no surprise that more fraud news came out this week.

This time, it's Minnesota’s autism services programs. Recent reports revealed that of the more than 500 unlicensed autism centers operating in MN last year, only 6 have applied for the new required licenses so far. We're digging into this and we’ll get real accountability to stop the fraud.

Governor Walz continued trying to distract from his awful record on fraud with new proposed gun restrictions, including a tax on firearm and ammo sales, warrantless searches of gun storage, and a ban on semiautomatic weapons. These proposals are unconstitutional infringements on our Second Amendment rights and will not pass the legislature.

On a different note, Minnesota's Paid Leave program went into effect January 1, and businesses are still figuring out the requirements. Free workshops are coming up in March and April to help employers understand the program. More details and registration info are below.

Next week, we'll be back at it, fighting fraud, defending 2A rights, and working to get bonding funds for projects in the district.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for reading,
Senator Andrew Lang, District 16

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Walz gun restrictions are punitive, unconstitutional attacks on legal gun owners

Governor Tim Walz released a new set of gun restriction proposals, including a proposed tax on firearm and ammunition sales, registration of currently owned semi-automatic rifles and mandatory law enforcement inspections of their storage, and bans on certain constitutionally protected firearms such as assault rifles.

These restrictions aren’t about safety, they’re about punishing legal firearm owners. Criminals won’t buy gun insurance, they won’t comply with warrantless inspections, and they certainly won’t pay taxes on illegally obtained guns and ammo. These restrictions are unconstitutional, target law-abiding Minnesota gun owners, and will never pass the legislature.

On Tuesday, two Democrat gun bills were heard in the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee:

HF 3433/SF 3654 would ban semiautomatic military-style assault weapons, require current owners to register with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, re-register every three years, and allow law enforcement to inspect firearm storage.

HF 3402/SF 3714 would ban magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds, and require owners to surrender them to law enforcement for destruction, modify them to hold ten rounds or fewer, or remove them from the state.

Both bills failed to advance out of committee. Their Senate companion bills have not yet received a hearing.

Rest assured, we will not allow your Second Amendment rights to be infringed.

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Shocking numbers in Minnesota's Autism Fraud Scandal

I want to share some alarming details that came out this week about the ongoing fraud crisis in Minnesota’s autism services programs.

A recent report, along with Monday's hearing in the House Fraud Prevention Committee, revealed that of the more than 500 unlicensed autism service providers operating in Minnesota last year, only 6 have applied for the new required licenses so far.

You read that right—only six out of over 500 are applying to become legitimate. Now, the deadline is at the end of May, but this is startling. It's hard not to conclude many have been fraudulent, potentially scamming the system and stealing taxpayer dollars meant for vulnerable kids and families. This also hurts honest providers, who have to compete with fraudulent businesses for the same funding.

This is just one more piece of the widespread fraud scandals in Minnesota, from autism services to other programs that have cost us billions.

In the Senate, we're holding officials accountable, and pushing real reforms to stop fraud once and for all.

WATCH

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MN Fraud Files

Originally created during the eight-year term of Gov. Mark Dayton, Center of the American Experiment’s Scandal Tracker was reopened to account for the ever-growing list of frauds and scandals perpetuated under the Tim Walz administration.

Your one-stop resource for everything related to state government fraud in Minnesota

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FREE Paid Leave Workshop

Minnesota’s Paid Leave program brings new requirements for employers across the state. There are several free, online Minnesota Paid Leave workshops that offer practical guidance on compliance and how to prepare your workplace.

Who Should Attend