Minnesota Senate leadership this week announced committee assignments for the 2026 legislative session. Senator Andrew Mathews (R–Princeton) was added to the State and Local Government Committee, while retaining his assignments to the Elections Committee and the Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee, where he serves as the Republican lead.

“This is an opportunity to focus on stopping and preventing fraud in state government,” said Sen. Mathews. “Governor Walz and Minnesota Democrats have been disastrous for accountability and transparency. I’m focused on bringing integrity back to state programs, protecting taxpayer dollars, and restoring trust in state government for all Minnesotans.

Last session, Sen. Mathews authored legislation to protect whistleblowers reporting fraud in public programs, receiving bipartisan support. He also authored a bill to establish a Government Efficiency and Ethics Commission to investigate allegations of fraud in state programs and legislative conflicts of interest.

The 2026 legislative session starts Tuesday, February 17.