News - Page 11 - Minnesota Senate Republicans

March 21, 2026

Jasinski: A fraud report you paid for that taxpayers can't read

Friends and neighbors, Late last year, in an effort to appear like he is taking action on fraud, Gov. Walz hired a consulting firm called Optum to dig through $9.4 billion in Medicaid claims across…

March 21, 2026

Heintzeman: Senate Republicans announce education package

This week Senate Republicans unveiled our comprehensive education proposal focused on two overarching priorities that have been lacking in recent years: keeping kids safe and helping them succeed academically. The package covers both safety and academics. It…

March 21, 2026

Heintzeman: Audit finds DHS refused to investigate kickbacks

Friends and neighbors, Minnesota's Office of the Legislative Auditor released a major report on kickbacks in the state's EIDBI program, which is the Medicaid-funded program that provides services to children with autism. A kickback, in…

March 21, 2026

Heintzeman: Democrats attempt to strip parental rights away

Friends and neighbors, This week, Democrats advanced SF 3439, a bill that would eliminate the "conscientiously held beliefs" exemption for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. I've heard from parents in our district who…

March 21, 2026

Gruenhagen: A $40 million handout to pay people’s past-due rent

Friends and neighbors, Recently the Senate passed a $40 million bill to pay the overdue rent and utilities of Minnesotans who chose not to go to work the last few months. There are many reasons…

March 19, 2026

Westrom urges the passage of the SAVE America Act

State Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) is urging the United States Senate to take immediate action on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The legislation would require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to…

March 19, 2026

Holmstrom introduces bill to protect public safety and local control by removing roadblocks for counties taking over probation

Senator Michael Holmstrom (R–Buffalo) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve public safety and restore local control to counties across Minnesota. Senate File 4265 would ensure that when a county takes over felony probation services from…

March 19, 2026

Senator Dahms, Senate Republicans roll out a plan for safe and smart kids

On Tuesday, March 17, Senate Republicans announced their “Safe and Smart Kids” education plan. Through both policy changes and funding priorities, the bills focus on student safety, reinforcing academic performance in the classroom, and increasing school…

March 19, 2026

Addressing Minnesota’s Lack of Affordability

Addressing Minnesota’s Lack of Affordability by Senator Jason Rarick For a long time, I’ve heard one resounding complaint from folks across the state and in our district: Minnesota families are tired of how unaffordable things…

March 19, 2026

Sen. Dornink: Protecting taxpayers, fighting fraud

Friends and neighbors, Spring is being felt by all of us. Warmer temperatures, hopefully the last snowstorm, and the excitement of March Madness. At the Capitol, spring also brings a sense of urgency. Committee deadlines…

March 19, 2026

OLA Report shows another failure by DHS in protecting taxpayer dollars, enabling fraud in another program

The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) today released a special review of the Department of Human Services work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report noted several…

March 18, 2026

Utke responds to new OLA Report showing DHS's repeated failures in protecting taxpayer dollars and enabling fraud

The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) this week released a special review of the Department of Human Services work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report…

March 18, 2026

Mathews pushes back against Democrat bill to eliminate religious exemptions for MMR vaccine

Minnesota Democrats this week introduced legislation that would eliminate the “conscientiously held beliefs” exemption for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In Minnesota, religious objections currently fall under this exemption. Senator Andrew Mathews (R–Princeton)…

March 18, 2026

Draheim: DHS knew about kickbacks in autism program but refused to investigate

The Office of the Legislative (OLA) today released a special review of the Department of Human Services’ work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report noted several findings,…

March 18, 2026

Koran: DHS falsely claimed it lacked authority to investigate kickbacks in autism program

The Office of the Legislative (OLA) today released a special review of the Department of Human Services’ work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report noted several findings,…

March 17, 2026

Senate Republicans roll out a plan for safe and smart kids

Senate Republicans today held a press conference to announce their education plan for safe and smart kids. The bills focus on student safety and academic performance in the classroom through both policy changes and funding priorities. “For…

March 17, 2026

New OLA Report shows DHS repeated failures in protecting taxpayer dollars and enabling fraud

The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) today released a special review of the Department of Human Services work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report noted several…

March 17, 2026

New OLA Report Demonstrates Failure of DHS to Use Full Authority to Protect Taxpayers and Stop Fraud

The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) today released a special review of the Department of Human Services' work investigating Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Program for allegations of kickbacks. The report noted…

March 16, 2026

Draheim introduces bill to expand rural healthcare for mothers and babies

Senator Rich Draheim (R–Madison Lake) today introduced legislation to expand rural healthcare for pregnant mothers and babies. Senate File 3651 would provide a competitive grant program to rural hospitals and higher education institutions to train…

March 16, 2026

Lang: Week 4 Legislative Updates

Friends and neighbors, It has been a snowy weekend here in Minnesota and many of us are still digging out from the storm. Stay safe! Last week I had the opportunity to present a bill…