[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6617700,"mediaKeyId","2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81","parentId",2839465,"title","Committee lays over bills, adopts technical amendment on Capitol projects and hears omnibus policy walkthrough","audioSeconds",3614,"startMs",5000,"endMs",3619000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81&start=5&end=3619","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81/thumbnail_5000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6617700/Minnesota/Committee-lays-over-bills-adopts-technical-amendment-on-Capitol-projects-and-hears-omnibus-policy-walkthrough","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617700-51624b8bc7fa8cfe1a9fb5fb96dbdb4b/orig.mp4?Expires=1774869788&Signature=bwpqv5wZhyWrm6AIuCsff1-jhmXK5IEq4W2V6hrI5CkmDVsj6CgBSY1a8LrfJ72TN~cjE1Z0atIXrnGVfIb3eZpIUdnRl1ir4xaHpZEGZ6C8C2XVEmy7IriH3Nk6gEYYvQXK1CMPK0TTBDMGsT1VyvE4Lpfeys49rzf9-fcFoilQQAd60XytAIY42fbyNQM6qH1EqunfmW8USfXxLOeltQUPBwX4H7kNef74B6uhtptsIJvZCd~74ciXEPGlqcx1GV2iS4AOQctINr0dqffqYAybBu7Z~CoBsRVT~vo5HmD-GGCLvwm9yM0BBWl3fjj960WKwfRHbue3GUwiH9OtjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-04-01T20:54:04.817Z","article","The House State Government Finance and Policy Committee met April 1 and completed a mix of business motions and informational briefings.

Minutes and procedural business

Representative Sexton moved to approve the minutes from March 27, 2025; the committee approved the minutes by voice vote. Several bills were presented for informational purposes or laid over for possible inclusion in the committee's work on finance and policy.

Bills laid over or presented

- House File 627 (lead request for fiscal notes): Representative Torkelson presented the bill that would allow a committee lead to request a fiscal note; the committee laid House File 627 over for possible inclusion.

- House File 474 (statue replacement to send to Congress): Representative Long provided an informational presentation about authorizing private donations to recast Minnesota's national-statue slot in Washington, D.C., proposing Hubert Humphrey as a replacement for Henry M. Rice; the item was heard informationally and not advanced in committee that day.

- House File 361 (Capitol Mall capital projects): Chair Cleburne described a bill to appropriate funds for uncompleted Capitol Mall work from prior legislation. As amended, the bill would appropriate $350,000 to complete the Bridal Plaza (pavers, plantings, trees and signage) and $350,000 for additional trees, benches and wayfinding signage on the upper mall and Aurora Plaza. The committee adopted the DE1 amendment by voice vote and laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus.

- House File 1837 (policy omnibus DE2 walkthrough): Chair Cleburne moved a DE2 to the committee and staff presented a section-by-section walkthrough of the draft omnibus policy amendment (DE2). The DE2 bundles numerous bills and agency-requested changes, including updates to personnel statutes, procurement language, changes to the Office of Administrative Hearings (proposed rename to Court of Administrative Hearings), fraud- and data-sharing provisions, reporting requirements for uncollectible debt and other cross-cutting policy items. Committee chairs and staff said they will circulate proposed changes and mark up the DE2 on Thursday; the committee did not adopt the DE2 that day.

Other procedural notes

The committee took no final votes to pass any substantive appropriation bills into law; multiple items were \"laid over for possible inclusion\" as chairs and staff prepare omnibus language. Committee members requested follow-up information from agency witnesses and the Office of the Attorney General on budget numbers, vacancy counts and other technical details.

Ending

Committee chairs said the schedule is rapid and asked members to watch their inboxes for updates and documents ahead of the next meeting where the DE2 will be marked up.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House State Government Finance and Policy Committee 4/1/25","oneSentenceSummary","The House State Government Finance and Policy Committee approved the minutes, laid over multiple bills for possible inclusion in the finance package, adopted a technical amendment for a capital project bill and heard a DE2 walkthrough for the policy omnibus (House File 1837 DE2).","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617703,"Attorney general asks for staff to expand Medicaid fraud work and details multi‑year recoveries",1669,1450000,3119000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81&start=1450&end=3119","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81/thumbnail_1450000.jpg","/articles/6617703/Minnesota/Attorney-general-asks-for-staff-to-expand-Medicaid-fraud-work-and-details-multiyear-recoveries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617703-147721b7a512c107e73a8f014cc39dce/orig.mp4?Expires=1774869788&Signature=LXm4FmAa4OaxIBNWtr-l36~12yEn297AfOh3nV2Esz0n3uED76cwh-v~vD6jwrsQtXCXr6id-Xt4Zsmotzg1aOKvl-V04LluMGcqqK9lAat5NKQOqMXVvcqSnxLBi3h-AmKY1x7QgRwPuX6W7PBsJ7-Ht6BCnWK-zDH0~yRfKPCoOV5Z-GcKQrjDjr0PLabJgT2uxnz9wjYLPtgIGBeDwIK2NivlBPbpaqvd-Su6bNym062DLUft13HVexcCebu5JOjkSrjRrHa1op~c8C8HvfJ6qwvO53lMq~F~MycIv7~dIP-QU16KQwnC1tgA6zx4kthCOXkyiJ50~BRnYRJa6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Attorney General Keith Ellison told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee on April 1 that his office seeks additional resources to expand investigations and prosecutions of Medicaid fraud and described a series of civil and criminal recoveries the office has obtained in recent years.

Ellison said the Medicaid-fraud expansion request is $390,000 in state funds for the biennium; the program has a substantial federal match and the state would pay about 25% of the cost. Laura Sales, director of government relations for the attorney general, told lawmakers the request would support nine staff (one attorney, seven investigators and one support position).

Why it matters

Ellison said stronger investigative capacity helps detect and stop fraud sooner. \"What we gotta do is increase the certainty that you will get caught,\" he told lawmakers, arguing that more investigators raise the likelihood of detection and thus deter fraud. Committee members said stopping fraud earlier reduces prosecutorial costs and limits harm to vulnerable Medicaid recipients.

Office achievements and examples cited

Ellison described a series of the attorney general's office results and programs: he said his office has contributed roughly $2.1 billion to state and household finances over the past six years through settlements, rate work and recoveries, and he listed examples including opioid-company settlements and utility‑rate advocacy that his office says produced substantial consumer savings. He also cited the office's antitrust work, including a multistate lawsuit alleging John Deere improperly restricted repairability of equipment, and a wage-theft unit that has returned money to workers.

On the Medicaid fraud unit specifically, Sales said the unit's budget is approximately $5 million per year with the state covering about 25% of that amount; the attorney general's office said it will provide more detailed figures upon request. Ellison and his staff offered to follow up by email with committee members on historical metrics, clawbacks and outside-counsel costs.

Committee questions and follow up

Members asked about the AG's decision-making on defending or declining to defend state statutes in litigation, outside-counsel costs, staffing and vacancy pressures, and the scale and sources of recoveries. Ellison said many of the office's federal challenges have been successful in recent months, and he offered to provide detailed historical data on the office's outside counsel use and case outcomes.

Ending

Lawmakers said they will consult with the attorney general's office as they write finance language. The AG's office offered to provide follow-up materials on Medicaid fraud recoveries, outside-counsel costs, and vacancy levels.","Attorney General Keith Ellison told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee his office seeks roughly $390,000 to expand its Medicaid fraud work (roughly 75% federally matched), and described the attorney general's recent recoveries and enforcement activity across antitrust, consumer protection and wage-theft cases.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6617708,"State auditor urges modest operating boost to protect audits as staff shortages grow",1330,118000,1448000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81&start=118&end=1448","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2839465-a91afd9cadc40f66d93307d4a808ff81/thumbnail_118000.jpg","/articles/6617708/Minnesota/State-auditor-urges-modest-operating-boost-to-protect-audits-as-staff-shortages-grow","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6617708-695e1c5d4b06ab653d3e7de632b80a7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1774869789&Signature=lfRcsjIo4em3flT8AUInSgVaahSwt7tg4aVkBFb~6xp3bW67-z6mhVxto8XNjjssBZHpsTnt0HQY2IYcQLS4t10WfyLZAY5BL9kJaafX4VIcccjpKkZGWSU7Z5a5OS5VZiEIgLIfnA0-9BvZPvw7cNNIOVWXJN18P16bYvgmpQQlO~TksehWQJQ2tWLK2KhuTA7QUybVOF~Rvq8iKFbAk-spgiEUScQVpqxpxKoHcgBS-qLLcOd7nyG9Vo5L0-rqOmqURB3x1vylhQnxcsJ4ndv~LSVuqP-UT2xQ1p4JwwMtA~X9Eql2uRvBqFmgjUa7hU-OM1yqP-7xLB1sQ68ItA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State Auditor Julie Blaha told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee on April 1 that the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) needs an operating adjustment of $486,000 in the coming biennium to protect 14.5 positions and to sustain oversight services to local governments.

Blaha said the OSA oversees roughly $40,000,000,000 in local government activity and has recently taken on the statewide single audit of federal funds. \"We oversee about $40,000,000,000 in local government activity,\" she said, and noted the office met the statewide single-audit deadline the day before the hearing.

The request, presented by Blaha and Matt Lindeman, the auditor's finance director, is framed as a retention and capacity measure: about 85% of the office's budget pays staff salaries and benefits, so personnel changes drive costs. Lindeman told the committee the net cost of the operating adjustment would be $486,000 for the biennium and \"would protect 14.5 positions.\" He said most audit fees are charged to local governments based on actual audit costs and that the OSA's overall budget represents a very small fraction of the state budget.

Why it matters

Blaha told lawmakers the request is in part a response to a national staffing trend: she cited estimates that a large share of certified public accountants are eligible to retire and said the OSA needs to widen the hiring pipeline. \"We're going to need to look at a variety of things to deliver again the oversight you all deserve while dealing with this workforce shift,\" she said, describing plans for in‑house training, IT auditors, and expanded use of data tools.

Details of the proposal and office changes

Blaha described a series of recent and proposed changes at the OSA: adding a township specialist to help small townships with reporting; hiring two special investigators to handle a sharply increased volume of investigation requests; adding IT staff and a chief information officer; and creating an Audit and Reporting Group (ARG) that brings public- and private-sector auditors together to build tools and coordinate oversight. Blaha said the OSA has started building dashboards for compliance checks and has improved the CTAS (City/Town Accounting System) used by many small governments, including stronger encryption.

On efficiency, Blaha said an external efficiency review and a successful peer review reduced findings and identified lower-cost ways to do audits; some unspent funds will be returned to the General Fund. Lindeman said audit fees are based on actual hours charged and that the office has not raised fees for roughly three years; he warned higher staff pay will increase costs charged to local governments, though \"not as high as the private sector.\"

Committee questions and follow up

Committee members asked how much a typical audit cost would rise for a small city; Blaha said the office is still calculating that impact and offered to follow up with a letter. Representatives also asked about paid family leave, CTAS and dashboard adoption, and vacancies; Blaha said the office already provides equivalent leave benefits under existing contracts and has fewer vacancies than earlier but still needs to refill recently reposted investigator positions.

Ending

Blaha closed by inviting further questions and offering to provide follow-up information to the committee. The committee did not take an immediate vote on the auditor's request; lawmakers said they will consider the OSA operating adjustment as they develop finance bill language.","State Auditor Julie Blaha told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee the Office of the State Auditor needs a $486,000 operating adjustment for the 2025–27 biennium to protect 14.5 positions amid a national public-finance staffing shortage and to maintain services to local governments.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee lays over bills, adopts technical amendment on Capitol projects and hears omnibus policy walkthrough

Attorney general asks for staff to expand Medicaid fraud work and details multi‑year recoveries

State auditor urges modest operating boost to protect audits as staff shortages grow