Last night the Minnesota House passed an anti-fraud Office of Inspector General bill out of their Ways and Means Committee, with its next stop being the House floor for a final vote. This comes nearly a full year after its counterpart in the Senate, co-authored by Senator Michael Kreun (R-Blaine), passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. Once the bill passes the House, it will come back to the Senate for concurrence before heading to the Governor for a final signature.

The senate bill and represents the culmination of two years of work and bipartisanship. It takes the bold step of proactively tackling fraud by creating an Office of Inspector General (OIG) in answer to the numerous fraud cases that have occurred in Minnesota. The OIG office would be responsible for independent oversight of agencies and would work in tandem with law enforcement to ensure Minnesota is stopping fraud before it begins.

“Stopping fraud before it starts should be the standard in every agency and administration,” said Kreun. “Establishing the Office of Inspector General is more than just fraud prevention, it’s codifying a culture of protecting tax dollars that state government currently lacks. That’s why I’ve continued to work tirelessly on this bill along with my House and Senate co-authors to make sure this bill got across the finish line in the House after passing the Senate last year.”

To ensure the office is as independent as possible, the Inspector General requires a three-fifths confirmation vote by the Senate, will serve a 5-year term, and cannot be terminated by the Governor. The Office’s chief responsibility will be to conduct oversight of state agencies and programs to identify and investigate fraud. The Office will also have independent law enforcement agency capability.

“Minnesotans are demanding that we do more, and I’m glad the House has reached a deal on this bill for a pathway to passage. Passing this bill sends a clear message to fraudsters that the jig is up, and to providers, recipients, commissioners and state employees that Minnesotans expect clean government and accountability,” finished Kreun.