Legislative Update
Friends and Neighbors,
Happy Independence Day! I hope you're able to grill out and spend some time with friends and family, but be sure to take a moment to remember the founding of our great country and the sacrifices made by so many brave men and women that made it possible.
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New Laws
On July 1 of this year, several new laws went into effect here in Minnesota. A full list of the new laws can be viewed here, but I want to take the time to highlight one very impactful provision - the new tax on deliveries.
Passed in 2023, the new delivery tax will apply to most orders over $100 including necessities like diapers, clothing, pet and office supplies, and other household essentials. The new tax is projected to raise $189 million in revenue and is just one of the many new or increased taxes & fees implemented this biennium while the majority spent the record-breaking surplus. I was proud to vote against this new tax and I will continue working to build a more affordable Minnesota.
More Fraud
Over the past month or so, more details on several instances of fraud have come to light, including two reports from the Legislative Auditor on $200 million in new frontline worker pay fraud and more details on the Feeding Our Future scheme.
The Feeding Our Future scheme is known as the "largest Covid fraud case in the nation" and cost taxpayers over $250 million. The frontline worker pay fraud comes from the fact that the Walz Administration did not correctly verify the eligibility of those who received payments during the pandemic.
Both reports, which can be read here, show an unacceptable lack of oversight by the DFL majority and the Walz Administration. We must be better stewards of taxpayer dollars.
There have also been several new news articles that have reported on suspected instances of fraud in the past couple weeks. Those cases include a development in Lakeville that was purchased with money stolen in the Feeding Our Future scheme. American Experiment reported on this back in April, and KSTP released an article on the topic a few days ago.
Additionally, the Minnesota Reformer just published an article that details how the FBI is investigating autism centers in Minnesota which have seen a 3000% increase in funding in the last few years. Most concerning is the fact that the Assistant DHS commissioner said that this growth was "pretty consistent" with other DHS programs.
We need to wait for more to come out on the above cases to fully understand the impact of the fraud, if any, and what the state can do about it. For now, I will work on making Minnesota more affordable and protecting taxpayer dollars from being lost to fraud.
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