Legislative Update
Greetings,
Happy New Year!
Fraud in Minnesota
It has been quite a week since Mr. Nick Shirley published his video addressing Childcare Fraud in Minnesota. We already knew about many of the Feeding Our Future fraudsters, as they have already been prosecuted. Thus, it is easy to believe that more fraud is occurring in other programs.
However, as a fellow Minnesotan, I want official investigative agencies to conduct their investigations and transparently publish facts, not conjecture. As you know, there are many news sources now reporting on these issues. However, one must understand context of the questions being asked by the reporters? Who is responding to the questions and what authority or expertise do they possess? How is the news source citing the information they are receiving? These are important questions that we must all ask when confronted with opposing positions.
Again, as a fellow Minnesotan, I believe former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger when he tells a large group of law enforcement officers and attorneys at a Violent Crime conference that Minnesota has a fraud problem. More recently, on December 18th, 2025, I believe U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson when he announced multiple indictments against individuals committing fraud in Minnesota. These are both valid information sources who must be accountable for their indictments and their messages.
I am mentioning information sources in today’s newsletter as I am receiving all sorts of emails making many claims about fraud, as well as claims saying these recently reported activities are not fraud. As we all know, there is always more to the story. So, I am awaiting additional official announcements on these issues from official information sources.
What can we do as legislators?
We can change our laws to restrict program qualification and increase reporting requirements.
We can mandate unannounced visits for program validation and compliance.
We can mandate auditing requirements, auditing frequency, auditing documentation, and make it easier for the inspectors to shut down a questionable program.
However, we need our fellow legislators to see the value in these efforts and vote for tighter controls as well. As you know we likely the most closely divided state legislature in the United States today as we are evenly split in the House and the DFL has a one seat majority in the Senate.
In conclusion, fraud is the antithesis of good government. Clearly, we should all want good government and the removal of fraud. As we prepare to go back into session in mid-February, I will continue to share more on this topic.
Coffee with Tom
Please feel free to join me for Coffee with Tom at the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce on Friday, January 2nd (TODAY) at the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce from 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Our next meeting in Waseca will be on Friday, January 9th at the Waseca Chamber of Commerce from 12:00pm-1:00pm.
Thank you for your support and feedback!
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