While the legislature adjourned one month ago, interim committees, councils, and task forces are meeting. The Senate Ethics Committee, which has been called to address a complaint against Sen. Nicole Mitchell (Woodbury) met briefly on June 12 and took no action against the complaint — they will meet July 25 after Sen. Mitchell has had her first appearance in court on first-degree burglary charges.
BUDGET UPDATES
A revenue update from Minnesota Management and Budget found that net general fund revenues in May totaled 16.7% more than forecast. Net general fund revenues totaled $2.1 billion in May, $304 million more than previously expected. Net receipts from all major tax types were above what state economic officials predicted. A more complete report covering April, May and June receipts will be issued in July.
Over the last week, the Office of the Legislative Auditor released two reports: a performance audit on the Minnesota Frontline Worker Pay Program and a special review on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Oversight of Feeding Our Future.
The 120-page audit report on the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) management of the Feeding Our Future child nutrition program found there was inadequate oversight of the program by MDE, which “created opportunities for fraud.” The report detailed that the department inadequately validated its food program and did not follow up on complaints against it — such as operating sites without property owners’ permissions, running messy and unorganized food-distribution processes, and the lack of organizational structure in the nonprofit. The report also included a list of recommendations which included but were not limited to:
The establishment of criteria in statute or giving MDE the authority to conduct rulemaking to establish criteria that the department must consider when determining whether to approve organizations for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
The need for MDE take additional steps to verify information provided in support of sponsorship applications submitted by high-risk applicants.
The need for MDE to conduct follow-up reviews, as needed, to ensure sponsors fully implement corrective action plans that result from administrative reviews.
The need for MDE to place a greater emphasis on program integrity and risk-based monitoring if oversight requirements are waived again in the future.
Prioritizing independent fact-finding in response to complaints.
The report on the Minnesota Frontline Worker Pay Program concluded that the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), did not comply with requirements for the program regarding payments to ineligible individuals and the Department of Revenue did not verify adjusted gross income for all applicants. The $487.45 payout was distributed to about 1 million Minnesotans — 40% of whom did not have their eligibility confirmed (note: according to the State Auditor, this does not mean that 40% were ineligible; the audit just could not confirm their eligibility). The report made a recommendation for the legislature to consider the amount of risk the state is willing to accept when establishing programs quickly and with eligibility conditions that rely on self-attestation. The office also made recommendations for the state to recoup any funds given to people who were not eligible, and/or used the identity of others to apply for funds.
This year, voters will head to the polls to vote for several races, including President, U.S. Senator for Minnesota, all 8 members of Minnesota’s U.S. House of Representatives delegation, and all 134 Minnesota House of Representatives districts. The Minnesota state senate is not up for election this year, but there will be a special election held for senate district 45, with the departure of Senator Kelly Morrison who is running for U.S Congress in the third congressional district and has resigned from the state senate.
Some important election dates to remember:
May 15: Applications for absentee ballots opened
June 28: Vote by mail or in person begins for the August 13 primary elections
August 13: Primary Election Day
September 20 through November 5: Vote by mail or in person
October 15: Deadline for advanced voter registration
