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Lawmakers Push Human Services IT Overhaul; Counties Cite Decades‑Old Systems
Summary
House File 4675 would create a Human Services Steering Committee and fund one-time 2027 updates to county human services IT. County leaders and workers described the aging Maxis system, heavy manual workarounds and staff turnover; committee laid the bill over for further work and asked about federal funding.
Representative Nadeau presented House File 4675 to establish a 14‑member Human Services Steering Committee to oversee state and county human services IT decisions and to provide one‑time FY2027 funding for county system modernization. The bill would require consultation with the steering committee before major system changes and calls for recorded votes and at least seven-member support for implementation of major changes.
Multiple county officials and staff testified about problems with longstanding systems. Jeanne Holland, Wright County commissioner, described seeing eligibility workers using legacy "green screen" interfaces and said the current environment causes delays for residents. Crystal Linder, a Dakota County public assistance coordinator, explained how Maxis requires repeated manual entry and numerous "fiat" workarounds, citing 350–400 cases per worker for some adult SNAP and cash workloads. Dana DeMaster said METS (Minnesota Eligibility Technology System, deployed beginning 2013) automates many happy-path applications but that roughly 55% still require manual county work; she and others noted interoperability gaps between systems.
Wright County administrator Greg Kreiser said Maxis imposes long training times (months to a year), high turnover and direct costs to county levies. Matt Hilgert of the Association of Minnesota Counties described the problem through a workforce and tax lens, saying counties across rural and metro areas face recruitment challenges and inefficiency costs from legacy systems.
Members asked about tribal consultation, committee longevity and federal funds. Representative Nadeau said the steering committee would include tribal partners as appropriate and noted $200 million in funds available through the federal HR1 process, and that Minnesota had already received several small grants totaling roughly $3–5 million. Speakers urged the committee to focus on quick wins and cross-county collaboration to reduce duplication and improve client outcomes. The bill was laid over for additional work and coordination with other proposals.
