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March 21, 2023
Last week, I helped stop potential fraud on yet another Democrat bill. HF 1440 which was passed off of the House floor last Thursday appropriated $50 million for existing homelessness prevention and assistance programs. While we were hearing this bill in Ways and Means Committee, I caught some language in the bill that would have make it ripe for fraud, and worked with the bill?s author to amend it by deleting the language below:
(d) If the agency determines that the metropolitan area is in need of additional support to serve households that are homeless or at risk of homelessness, the agency may grant funds to entities other than counties in the metropolitan area, including but not limited to nonprofit organizations.
(e) In circumstances where more than one grantee operates in a given geographic area, grantees may work with either an advisory committee as required under Minnesota Statutes, section 462A.204, subdivision 6, or the local Continuum of Care and are not required to meet the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, section 462A.204, subdivision 4.
The language I caught would have let ANY entity, not just well-vetted nonprofits, cities and counties, receive grants from the state to then distribute the money to ?prevent homelessness?. In my opinion, a mac truck could have driven through this language, and it would have been an open door to fraud much like we saw with the Feeding Our Futures scandal. I will keep working as I always have to carefully review appropriations and policy bills both in committee and behind the scenes.
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Last week I mentioned the University of Minnesota's first and second supplemental budget requests, which include over $900 million for the acquisition of Fairview Clinics. Last Thursday, they came back with yet another ask of an additional $97 million above their original $210 million, which is over their base budget of $1.4 billion in the biennial budget. I provided the StarTribune with the statement below regarding the budget ask:
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?The University of Minnesota has long been plagued by mismanagement, high cost of tuition, exorbitantly high administrative salaries and a Board of Regents that is nothing more than a rubber stamp for whom ever happens to be the President. It is no wonder that over the past ten years, they have seen a tremendous drop in enrollment across all five campuses. U of M Morris saw a 45% decline over the last 10 years. Couple that with out-of-control violent crime at the Twin Cities campus and you have a recipe for disaster. And now, the U of M is coming to the taxpayer to bail them out or they will raise tuition again, this time by 11%. I say they go back to the drawing board and cut bloated administrators salaries and programs that contribute nothing to the state?s economy.?
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This week I signed onto a letter written by Rep. Peggy Scott to the Majority Leader and Speaker of the House that asks for clarification on the nearly $500 million allocation for the remodel and expansion of the State Office Building. We believe in transparency and fiscal responsibility, both of which seem to be forgotten on this project. Here is the full list of information we requested on the renovations:
- What is the current status and total cost of the SOB renovation and expansion project?
- Are the most recent planning, design and cost documents available for public review?
- What is the total additional square footage to be added in the expansion plan?
- Will the average size of lawmaker offices change under the current plan?
- Is the current plan designed to accommodate an increase in the number of staff?
- What lower cost alternatives to improve safety and systems in the existing building have been or are being considered compared to the grandiose plans revealed to the public in December 2022?
The response from the Speaker to Rep. Scott and those of us who signed onto the letter simply stated:
"Thanks for your note.? We will get a meeting on the calendar for you to get an update from the professionals who have been retained to analyze the life, health and safety issues associated with the State Office Building and to propose plans to address those."
This is a disappointing answer, to say the least. When the state is spending half a billion dollars on one building, the public deserves full transparency and accountability.
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Here is more information on a couple of important community events coming up in April:
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