Making a Difference

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November 13, 2019

Dear Friends, 

Well, fall was fun while it lasted but it certainly feels like winter has come. Let's hope for a quick warm up before we dive deep into winter. Below is a quick update from the Capitol, have a great weekend! 

Making a Difference 

At the legislature, we don't often get to see real concrete results from our work. Whether we are working on tax policy or trying to lower the cost of health care, we don't always get to see our work helping individuals. But this weekend, we saw real positive good come from fixing a hunting law that hadn't taken into account those with special needs. My friend Steve Pennaz called me about his son Pierce a while ago. His son has special needs and was about to turn 18. Once he turned 18 he wouldn’t be able to have Steve at his side as his “Apprentice hunter” which legally enable him to hunt. The law said that Pierce would’ve had to pass hunters safety on his own which he couldn’t do. With Steve at his side though he’d be able to hunt safely and achieve the dream of bagging a deer. I drafted a bill with help from staff and from the revisor of statutes and we moved it along. It hit a snag with a former governor but we eventually got it done. This made it so Pierce now 18 could hunt with dad, and look at the results! Special thanks to so many that helped fix this law including Amy Zipko, the revisor staff, the DNR staff, former Chair Representative Dan Fabian, the rest of my House colleagues, and my constituents who send me to Saint Paul to work for them. WCCO TV story: mnhouse.gop/2KgNs5f

Legislator of Year Award 

In October, I was named the 2019 Legislator of the Year by Housing First Minnesota, the state's leading voice for housing.  Homeownership is a key part of the American Dream and we need to work to make sure it remains within reach for generations to come. I am proud to be recognized for my efforts to make homeownership a reality for more Minnesotans. Home affordability is truly one of the most pressing issues facing our state and I will continue to be a leader in this fight. One of the key pieces of housing legislation signed into law during the 2019 legislative session was the creation of the Legislative Commission on Housing Affordability. As newly appointed members of this commission, I initiated much-needed conversations addressing the dozens of roadblocks that face Minnesota’s broken housing market.

High School Page Program

The Minnesota House High School Page Program is a great way for high school juniors to learn and get some hands-on experience with the legislative process. Twelve week-long slots are available from early February until mid-May and stipends are available to defray expenses. We've had a long-standing tradition of having a page or two from our community each year. It's a great and fun opportunity to get a crash court in state government.  The deadline to apply is November 21. Click here for more details.

Audit of DHS Tribal Program

Last month, the non-partisan Legislative Auditor released a special review of the $29 million in improper payments made by DHS to two tribal governments for addiction services.

You can read the full special review here.

The OLA blamed "troubling dysfunction" at the agency for the improper payments, and concluded that "fundamental and deep reforms within DHS are needed." They noted that DHS "did not have legal authority to make the payments; it did not document why, when, and who decided it was appropriate to make the payments; no one at DHS takes responsibility for the decision; and no one at DHS can provide a rationale for the payments. The overpayments continued over several years and did not stop until an outside inquiry brought them to light."

The OLA recommends instituting a "comprehensive system of documented management reviews and approvals" for payments made with Medicaid funds. They also repeatedly noted the failure by the numerous levels of management and middle-management that allowed a low-level employee to "unilaterally institute—without legal authority—a payment policy that sent millions of federal funds to those tribes," and said it was "extremely troubling" that the payment practice continued unnoticed by numerous layers of management for years.

At the end of the day, we need to make sure Minnesota taxpayers are not asked to clean up this mess at DHS. The Department of Human Services has a budget of $18 billion and should be responsible for correcting this error within their own budget. 

Please Contact Me

Please feel free to reach out to my office if there is any way I can be of assistance. My phone number is 651-296-4282, I am here to serve you!

Have a great Fall!

Jim

349 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.4282