[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6570418,"mediaKeyId","3193131-63c235ef1572086cecaca0042e1b6abf","parentId",3193131,"title","House file 2891 would require grants‑management certification, site visits and a central debarment registry","audioSeconds",2090,"startMs",6091000,"endMs",8181000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3193131-63c235ef1572086cecaca0042e1b6abf&start=6091&end=8181","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3193131-63c235ef1572086cecaca0042e1b6abf/thumbnail_6091000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6570418/Minnesota/House-file-2891-would-require-grantsmanagement-certification-site-visits-and-a-central-debarment-registry","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570418-2defc2c952ecc2c923f472c9140b8724/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154630&Signature=bU0iYop7L1jmRV2eTI-aW1-HqpRZSVsLLoJK7K104a~KWncikG-txMkx8uTRsybg-ydcd~7Z8pRsUJ7vXgnS1uG2zNsxnqQECiEcpA5DqoC39PLSw7KHyVuy8LHL9R~7vuaSKdU95rJo9853AC3RhhnJkNOFWF0sgp8K28LFSPFIFDP1INFO86C1KX7qGcr69VKBOPkiS7~q3jshqa2zsHtsJpy2m---b3qwA9rKhxOg8WuRffAhaX5lWS2cNxKyNBWISKjKx6UTZAYc59u1~2pnh8XGoFSFUOJAgewU-JOD2dOYnqu3wGYuqHRQEMVFlbs7GSrAcoXu0XvwUyyZxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-05-05T19:47:43.31Z","article","House File 2891 (HF2891) — an oversight committee bill discussed at the May 5 hearing — would require state employees with grants‑management responsibilities to complete a certification program, expand the use of site visits and create a centralized reporting and debarment registry administered by the Office of Grants Management (OGM) in the Department of Administration.

Why it matters: the Office of Legislative Auditor and agency witnesses said inconsistent training, monitoring and fragmented enterprise data make it harder to detect and prevent misuse of state grant funds. HF2891 seeks to standardize training, clarify grants‑management responsibilities and provide a single flagging system so other agencies can see administrative actions or credible allegations tied to grantees.

Key testimony and agency concerns

Betsy Hayes, Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Administration (OGM), said the agency supports a certification program but requested additional resources and time for design and implementation. \"Adding a certification element to this would bolster this already strengthened training regimen,\" she said, but added the bill should specify an effective date that allows about 18 months to hire staff and build the program.

OGM also asked the committee to change the statutory phrase \"monitoring visit\" to \"site visit\" to reflect the intended scope. Hayes explained that \"monitoring visits\" typically require extensive planning and financial reconciliation, whereas the committee’s intent was often to allow for shorter unannounced site verifications that confirm an organization is operating from an actual address and providing services.

The Office of Legislative Auditor (OLA) — represented by Legislative Auditor Judy Randall — told members the certification requirement aligns with OLA recommendations. Randall said OLA’s earlier work found many agencies and frontline staff were unaware of available OGM training and that turnover and distributed responsibility for grants management reduces oversight effectiveness. \"A lot of the rules and requirements that you are looking for are already in place... The real issue ... is that state employees don't necessarily know all of them, haven't necessarily been trained on all of them,\" Randall said.

Debate and fiscal considerations

Chair Robbins noted the bill’s fiscal note reviewed by the committee showed a sizable cost estimate in an early draft (discussed in the hearing at roughly $7 million per biennium), and she emphasized that while the investment could be justified if it prevents large‑scale fraud, the committee must consider costs, exceptions for grantees without fixed addresses and whether OGM or each agency should hold the debarment authority.

OGM recommended centralizing debarment determinations in OGM to ensure consistency and limit duplicative staffing needs across agencies; some agencies had advocated for agency‑level debarment authority, which OGM said could increase cost and inconsistency. OLA recommended clarifying reporting requirements and noted OLA already has authority to review SWIFT (the statewide accounting system) and to follow up on credible allegations.

Ending

The committee took no formal vote on HF2891 at the hearing. Members called for further discussion of fiscal impacts, exception lists, the exact scope of site visits, and privacy and disclosure limits for any centralized registry. Several members expressed support for moving ahead with tighter training and clearer grants‑management responsibilities as a priority for the interim.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee 5/5/25","oneSentenceSummary","A committee bill (HF2891) discussed May 5 would create required grants‑management certification, add unannounced site visits in some cases, and establish a centralized reporting/debarment mechanism; the Department of Administration and Office of Legislative Auditor emphasized resource, scope and drafting issues.","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},6570423,"Committee hears proposal to criminalize improper remunerations including grant‑related kickbacks",529,5556000,6085000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3193131-63c235ef1572086cecaca0042e1b6abf&start=5556&end=6085","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3193131-63c235ef1572086cecaca0042e1b6abf/thumbnail_5556000.jpg","/articles/6570423/Minnesota/Committee-hears-proposal-to-criminalize-improper-remunerations-including-grantrelated-kickbacks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570423-e0e7ebda46dbf345c946c4a5296d9447/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154630&Signature=E8rVhHDZxH7TtD-eWwagPYG7YzBY~O7qC-BOg6GAilC7X9tkhWjJOBU~VkxN3ECkRgXPw8mM5HAWpIUkIomGx9LWWC65lrgy-oJp3IXJlEJtDW~fOsxuwKmacf8qzWla-QbVgo-DqDrpU5GGbtT0U3uUEpJRhtsrPtzPWwpm9YJlgmjSzWgR4JArUsfpwBThgbmDI6aAyGCCim8XYIitKjkAr2lnYJPMDZeDcVQfuidOnhi4tI8ltoEibt64ofs9~ft9l9Fk61t5euh73aRXv84~qwiIXmJWUBDX-cl9NoOMIunDm8LnacJ3Cn6EVEC2jS9lUEl8oX~5FiZo4~fM6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 3043, a committee bill discussed May 5 by the House Fraud, Waste and State Agency Oversight Committee, would add a state crime for illegal remunerations (commonly called kickbacks) tied to government grants, contracts and similar public programs.

Why it matters: witnesses and staff said current gaps can impede administrative and criminal accountability when an individual who influences awards later receives private benefit. Committee members asked nonpartisan staff and prosecutors to review the proposed language for overbreadth and prosecutorial discretion.

What was presented

Chair Robbins, the bill's author in committee, said HF3043 responds to agency requests gathered during committee hearings. She told members the proposal would close a gap revealed in testimony where agencies said conduct that looked like kickbacks sometimes did not meet a threshold the agency needed to withhold payments administratively.

Nonpartisan House counsel John Bowler (nonpartisan staff appearing as Mr. Johnson in the hearing) told the panel the draft is largely novel in state law and that comparable federal law does not give a neat analog. \"To my knowledge, there's nothing specifically like this in federal law,\" he said. He warned that proving a kickback can be challenging because it may not always be straightforward to tie an individual action to an actual theft or misapplication of funds.

Prosecutorial and policy concerns

Representative Michael Salah (committee discussion) and other members urged careful drafting. Salah said the proposed subdivision could be broad and asked the committee to ensure the bill would not criminalize routine actions like a recommendation letter or routine employment transitions without a wrongful intent element. He recommended review in Public Safety to tighten language and clarify mens rea and jurisdictional limits.

Chair Robbins said the bill was drafted based on agency requests and that the committee would work with Public Safety and others to refine language. \"There are specific examples... where someone who had grants management authority awarded contracts then later became an employee of a company they had awarded a grant to,\" Robbins said; she added lawmakers want to prevent such arrangements that improperly leverage public authority for private gain.

Ending

Committee members agreed additional review of the draft is appropriate. The committee did not take formal votes on HF3043 at the hearing; members signaled interest in refining language to clarify the statute’s scope, mens rea (intent), and interplay with existing theft statutes and administrative remedies.","House file 3043, discussed at the May 5 hearing, would create a state offense targeting illicit remunerations (kickbacks) tied to government contracts and grants; the committee received testimony and nonpartisan counsel noted the provision is novel relative to federal law and needs careful drafting.","actionData","errors"]

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House file 2891 would require grants‑management certification, site visits and a central debarment registry

Committee hears proposal to criminalize improper remunerations including grant‑related kickbacks