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*June 14, 2024*






Legislative Update

 

kr1

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

 

I hope you've been enjoying your summer thus far! I've been busy giving updates to the City Councils in our district, having meetings with constituents and attending community events. 



This week, our community and state came together to mourn the death of Officer Jamal Mitchell, a Minneapolis Police Officer who was killed in an ambush as he tried to render aid to someone.  Officer Mitchell lived in our district and his children attend school and play sports in our community.  I was honored to attend his funeral and will share more reflections below.

Now that we are out of session, I will just be sending occasional updates. I hope you are all having a good summer and I hope we cross paths at one of the many fun events in our community.  *This Friday and Saturday, the **Hennepin County Fair* [ [link removed] ]* is on in Corcoran!*

*I also want to wish all of the amazing Fathers and Grandpas a Happy Father’s Day on Sunday!*  I hope you all enjoy your favorite activities with your families – you are so appreciated!






Executive Summary

*
Officer Jamal Mitchell's Funeral

*
New Findings of Fraud by the Legislative Auditor

* Frontline Worker Program
* Feeding Our Future Program

*
E-Bike Rebate Program






Officer Jamal Mitchell's Funeral

kr2

Earlier this week I had the privilege of attending Officer Jamal Mitchell's funeral at Maple Grove High School. It was an incredibly moving service to celebrate and honor the life of a true hero. 

Officer Mitchell had been on the Minneapolis Police Force for two years. Just three days into his job, Officer Mitchell ran into a burning building to save an elderly couple.  Many people shared stories of his courage, which was matched only by his compassion.  He always took time for neighbors, colleagues and friends, to share a laugh, a word of encouragement or help out.  He was a devoted partner and father to four children, a coach and community and church volunteer.  In the two short years that Officer Mitchell lived in Maple Grove, he had an incredible impact on our community and on Minneapolis, the jurisdiction where he served as a law enforcement officer.



It was encouraging to see all of the members of Law Enforcement from around the state and country, as well as the citizens, who came to pay their respects and show support to Officer Mitchell’s family!  In addition to everyone who attended the service, many more watched online and hundreds lined the streets and highways as the procession took him and his family to the airport for the flight to CT. 

Rest in Peace, Officer Mitchell – your inspiring legacy will endure.  Please continue to pray for Officer Mitchell’s family as they have all flown to CT for a service in his hometown and with their extended family members.

This is the 3rd funeral I’ve attended "in the last year" for 5 members of law enforcement and first responders who have put their lives on the line to protect and serve our community. 


* Pope County Deputy Officer Josh Owen – April, 2023
* Burnsville Officers Paul Elmstrand & Matthew Ruge and Firefighter Adam Finseth – February 2024
* Minneapolis Police Officer (Maple Grove Resident) – Officer Jamal Mitchell, June, 2024

Each one is heartbreaking and leaves families and communities forever changed by grief and loss.  It is horrible to see this significant increase in attacks on law enforcement and first responders and it has to stop.  I’m thankful we were able to make straw purchases a felony this year, but that is little comfort to those whose loved ones are gone.

These deaths also take a toll on "all" of the members of our law enforcement and first responder communities, who know the risks but still put their uniforms back on every day and go back out to do their duty for all of us.

*Please take time to thank our law enforcement officers and first responders when you see them at events this summer! * Send notes or emails of gratitude, drop off food or treats, and, *at a minimum – slow down or pull over when you see them working an accident!  *They are an important part of our community and appreciate these signs of support and encouragement.






Frontline Worker Pay Fraud

On Tuesday, the *Minnesota Frontline Worker Pay Program review* was released. You can find that audit *here* [ [link removed] ] along with numerous local news stories here [ [link removed] ] and here [ [link removed] ].

*The Legislative Auditor found that the Department of Labor and Industry approved payments to people who were not eligible or whose eligibility could not be determined. This included fraudulent duplicate applications including many from people who were deceased long before this program opened. *In addition, the Department of Revenue did not verify all applicants met the adjusted gross income requirements.

This program was passed in 2022 and set aside a $500 million pool of money for frontline workers who worked in-person during the pandemic. The expectation was that there would be under 500,000 eligible applicants who would split that pool of money. Ultimately, there were over 1 million applicants approved which meant that legitimate frontline workers received significantly smaller checks than they were likely entitled to due to fraudulent applicants also splitting those funds.

This fraud could have all been avoided if state agencies were doing basic oversight of these programs and if the program had not been rushed through.  The Legislative Auditor noted that:

"“The Legislature should consider the amount of risk the state is willing to accept when establishing programs quickly and with eligibility conditions that rely on self-attestation.”"

*Self-attestation should not be used as a way to confirm eligibility. * It is an absolute dereliction of duty.  If agencies cannot be trusted to follow rigorous oversight processes, the Legislature should spell out in statute the process for eligibility.

*Unfortunately, as with other scandals and mismanagement, it appears the Walz Administration is not going to hold anyone accountable for mismanagement.  To date, I am not aware of anyone who has been fired or even disciplined. *






Feeding Our Future Fraud

FOF OLA Cover

Yesterday, the Legislative Auditor released the* audit of the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) oversight of Feeding our Future Program*. You can find the full audit report *here* [ [link removed] ].

This appears to be the largest pandemic-related fraud in the country and in state history. 

MDE was responsible for overseeing this program, including approving and verifying applicants, reviewing their operations, making payments when services were actually performed that met the guidelines, and ensuring the meals program was adequately monitored and correctly administered.



*Instead, the Legislative Auditor found MDE’s actions and inactions created opportunities for fraud.*

 Specifically, the MN Dept. of Education:


* Failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and prior to the alleged fraud;
* Did not effectively exercise its authority to hold Feeding Our Future accountable to program requirements;
* Was ill-prepared to respond to the issues it encountered with Feeding Our Future

MDE received *over 30 complaints* from outside people and entities about the program. *Rather than investigating, however, MDE either ignored them or asked Feeding Our Future to investigate the complaints itself.* As noted above, neither self-attestation nor self-investigation are best practices for grant management and oversight.

In addition, the two times the MDE found Feeding Our Future “seriously delinquent," they did nothing about it and *continued making payments.*

*It is clear that this $250 million+ fraud would have never occurred if the MN Department of Education would have exercised basic oversight authority.* They allowed it to continue, even when they were made aware of significant issues. 

Minnesota used to have a reputation for competent and clean government. Sadly, we now are dealing with fraud and corruption across multiple agencies and no one is being held accountable. 

*Unfortunately, change begins at the top and the Gov. Walz and MDE Commissioner Willie Jett seem to have no interest in holding people accountable for mismanagement.*  In response to a question by Rep. Duane Quam, a member of the Legislative Audit Commission, about whether any employees were disciplined, *Commissioner Jett said that they did not want to “assign blame.”*

*Unless and until program managers and senior officials are held accountable for mismanagement, oversight will continue to be lax and taxpayer money will continue to be wasted.  Citizens deserve and should demand accountability.*






Failed E-Bike Rollout

In 2023 the DFL passed an E-Bike rebate program. This program was funded in the 2023 Transportation bill at $2 million per year, for two years, beginning on July 1, 2024 (start of FY25). 

Last week, the Dept. of Revenue started taking applications for the program, which will close after 10,000 applications have been received.  Applicants will qualify for a rebate certificate based on income. Applicants can qualify for a rebate up to $1500 or 50%-75% of the cost, depending on the cost of the bake which can range from $600 to $2500.

Although the program was supposed to go live last week, the government's website crashed and no rebates could be processed!  As of this writing, the website is still not working, but if you want to check back to try to apply, you can find the link here [ [link removed] ].

Once again, the state has not been able to handle even a relatively small IT program and we do not have any estimate on the cost of making it work. 

*This is another example of the Majority’s misplaced priorities.  We have significant traffic and signal issues in our communities that urgently need attention, yet the state has chosen to provide $4 million in rebates to a small and relatively wealthy segment of the population who can afford to e-bikes.*  We should be focusing our limited resources on transportation priorities that will help improve safety and congestion for all, not just a few.

 

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Photos

kr3

Enjoyed giving my Session Update to the City of Corcoran, MN City Council tonight! I am so grateful for the strong partnership we have and for all you do for our community!

kr4

Always love celebrating our small businesses & honoring their incredible generosity in our communities! Congratulations to all of the winners at the I-94 West Chamber of Commerce annual Circle of Excellence Awards! Thanks to all for your generous support of 5 student scholarships & more than $20K raised for Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association (LEMA), Minnesota Fire Fighters Foundation and Magnus Veterans Foundation!

kr4

In the last week I have also given Session Updates to the City of Independence Minnesota and City of Loretto, MN City Councils! I forgot to take a pic in Independence, but I am so grateful for the strong partnerships I have with all of the cities in 37A! More to come!






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THANK YOU!

It is a great privilege to be able to represent our beautiful district in the Minnesota House!  Now that the 2024 session is over, I will not be sending out weekly updates, but will still send occasional newsletters as event warrant.

I am certainly still working for our district, however!  I am always happy to meet or take a call and hope to see many of you at all of the fun events in our communities this summer!

The best way to reach me in the “interim” is by email:  *[email protected]. * You can also leave a message at 651-296-7806.  My office voicemail is checked by my wonderful LA, Betsy, several times a week!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and I hope to see you somewhere soon!

Have a great weekend!

 

Kristin











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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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