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Dear Friends and Neighbors!
The holiday season is in full swing and I hope you and your families are enjoying all the fun activities in our communities! I love the Christmas concerts, breakfasts and skating with Santa, all of the festive lights and treats, and beginning to receive Christmas cards from friends near and far.
December has been a busy month – I can’t believe it's already half over!
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Executive Summary
- The State of Minnesota lost three heroes in the tragic helicopter crash that killed Warrant Officer Candidate Sergeant Kort Plantenberg, Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Rogers, Jr., and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord on December 5th.
Please take time to read the links about these men and their families. Please continue to pray for their families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones and now bear the sacrifice of their service to all of us.
- The House HHS Finance Committee finally had a hearing on the turmoil at DHS. We did not get the answers we were seeking and will continue to press for an audit and reforms.
- I have had so much fun attending various breakfasts with Santa, tree lightings, and other festive events in our communities! Each one provides an opportunity to donate toys, warm clothes, food or other needed items to local charities and it has been amazing to see the tremendous outpouring of generosity in our community everywhere I go!
- I’m having numerous meetings with constituents every week about issues that may come up in the 2020 session. I was also delighted to have a high school student, Pablo Aleksandrowicz, shadow me at the Capitol last week!
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Fallen Heroes
Kort Plantenberg, James Rogers, Jr., and Charles Nord all tragically lost their lives when their helicopter crashed on a maintenance flight on December 5th in a field outside Kimball (near St. Cloud). They had all returned last May from a deployment conducting medical evacuations in the Middle East and this terrible tragedy on a routine flight was a great shock. Their bravery and selflessness is now borne by their grieving family and friends as a great sacrifice for all of us.
Sgt. Kort Plantenberg
Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Rogers
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord
The Krippner family, who owns the field where their Blackhawk helicopter went down, put up a flag pole and raised a flag to honor them the next day, for which we are all grateful.
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HHS Hearing
As you know, members of the House HHS Policy and Finance Committees have been calling for hearings into the leadership turmoil at DHS since the spate of resignations last summer. The HHS Finance Committee finally held its first hearing on December 2nd, 90 days after the third DHS Commissioner, Jodi Harpstead took her post.
Although I wasn’t able to ask questions, I was happy the House was finally were able to hear from the new Commissioner and I had hoped she would present a detailed plan about how she intended to improve the culture and reform the operations of the agency.
Although Commissioner Harpstead discussed the need to tighten up some protocols, she did not provide many details and declined to hold anyone accountable for the millions of taxpayer dollars that have been overpaid. She indicated that no one has been or will be disciplined for the $106 million in overpayments and she was reluctant to endorse calls by Republicans and Governor Walz for a forensic audit of all DHS spending.
The commissioner also claimed no knowledge on the reason for the leadership turmoil that plagued DHS this summer, which I found surprising. If one is taking on such a difficult and public assignment, wouldn’t you want to know why your predecessor and senior staff members left? It was very disappointing to get no further explanation on the cause of this disorder.
Commissioner Harpstead also revealed late in the hearing that the investigation into former DHS Inspector General Carolyn Ham had concluded. Ms. Ham was re-assigned to General Counsel's office after being put on paid administrative leave and will apparently continue in that role. The Commissioner declined to discuss the findings of the investigation, simply stating that the matter was over. This was incredibly frustrating as we have been trying to get answers about the childcare fraud Ms. Ham was charged with investigating since last March, when our committee tried to subpoena her to testify.
It was very disappointing to learn that the investigation of Inspector General Ham was closed without explanation, or even notifying committee members. If members of the Finance Committee had not asked about it, I’m not sure when we would have found out.
We cannot solve these problems without full transparency and meaningful accountability. I hope Commissioner Harpstead will work with the legislature and the Governor to develop a plan for a full outside audit so we can get to the root of these problems and ensure that taxpayer money is being used to serve the 1 million Minnesotans who need these services.
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Maple Grove Breakfast with Santa
Dayton Breakfast with Santa!
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Maple Grove Sleigh Bells and Sparkle Parade!
Rogers tree lighting
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Student Shadow and Meetings
I had the privilege of being shadowed by Pablo Aleksandrowicz, a Junior at Elk River High School, last week. Earlier this fall I had shadowed the Rogers and Maple Grove Principals and said I would be happy to have a student shadow me in return! Pablo made the trek to the Capitol from Elk River and we had a fun morning. He had briefings on energy and HHS issues and we also toured the Capitol on the day the Christmas tree was being decorated in the Rotunda. Pablo compete in speech at Elk River high school and it showed in his grasp of the issues we discussed and the great questions he asked!
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Rep. Robbins and Pablo Aleksandrowicz in her office
I’ve had many other meetings over the last two weeks with constituents and others interested in issues we will be considering next session. I continue to learn so much through these conversations and really appreciate when people reach out!
I also attended a briefing on the importance of Cyber Security to our economy. It was a sobering discussion about how all levels of government need to work together to address threats in the public and private sector and how many thousands of attacks are repelled every day. Minnesota Cyber is a program at Metropolitan State University that is attempting to address these current needs and develop a pathway for careers in cyber security so Minnesota stays on the cutting edge of these rapidly evolving threats. There are currently 8,792 available jobs in cyber security in Minnesota and approximately only 400 new graduates in in this field every year. There is a lot of opportunity in this growing field if you or your child are interested!
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Photos from the Month
Rep. Robbins with constituent from LifeWorks
Rep. Robbins with a group from LifeWorks
I-94 Chamber Holiday Luncheon
First Capitol Christmas Tree since the Capitol renovations
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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!
I hope you all enjoy the festivities of the holiday season with your family and friends! I am looking forward to having all of our girls home, baking, attending holiday music and church services, and spending time with extended family, who we don’t get to see as often as we would like! Whatever your plans, I hope you have fun, stay safe and enjoy the wonder of the miracles of this blessed season!
Kristin
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225 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806 |
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