Video & Transcript Research : 'parish government'
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MN
Transcript Highlights:
- The federal government might cut some funds. The federal government might cut all funds.
- The federal government might cut some funds. The federal government might cut all funds.
- The federal government might cut some funds. The federal government might cut all funds.
- The federal government might cut some funds. The federal government might cut all funds.
- c> is federal govern government so this is federal govern government so this is funding<01:46:24.679
Summary:
The committee met to hear a Minnesota Department of Education presentation on federal education funding and the potential effects of federal actions on those dollars. Chair Kunesh framed the discussion around concerns about threats to the U.S. Department of Education and noted that federal funds make up about 10% of Minnesota’s education budget, or roughly $1.4 billion. Senator Lang pushed back, emphasizing that 90% of school funding comes from state and local sources and urging the committee to focus on state mandates and how to pay for them. New member Senator Clark introduced himself and said he would teach ethics or running if he were a teacher.
Department staff explained that federal education dollars are divided between entitlement/formula funds and competitive/discretionary grants. They said Minnesota receives federal money through established systems and that the department is seeking clarity about how federal changes might affect the flow of funds, oversight, and program administration. They also outlined Minnesota’s legislative review process for federal funds, which includes several pathways such as the governor’s biennial budget, supplemental budget submissions, legislative advisory committee review, and expedited review processes when needed.
The presentation then focused on ESEA Title funding, especially Title I. Staff said Title I is one of the largest federal education programs in Minnesota, with about $200 million in current funding, and supports 476 local education agencies. They described how funds are allocated through Minnesota’s North Star accountability system and Compass support structure, based on measures such as poverty, graduation rates, and state assessment performance. Examples of allowable supports included professional development, attendance initiatives, reading curriculum, training, and peer coaching. Senators asked whether executive action could affect these funds and whether the money flows directly to districts or through the state; staff responded that they would avoid speculation and would continue explaining the different funding streams and oversight structure.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- and Local Government Committee first. and Local Government Committee first.
- in the State and Local Government in the State and Local Government Committee,<00:11:10.160>
- <00:14:14.000>
Committee State and Local Government Committee State and Local Government Committee - It is a committee that Government.
- primary committee, the State Government primary committee, the State Government Committee,<00:24
Summary:
The Senate opened with prayer, a roll call, and confirmation that a quorum was present, then moved to committee reports. The main floor debate centered on a Rules Committee report involving the referral of a sports betting bill. Senator Rasmussen and others argued the bill should go first to the State and Local Government Committee because gambling falls within that committee’s jurisdiction, while Senator Franzen, Senator Klein, and others defended the Rules Committee’s 6-2 decision to send it to Commerce, emphasizing committee discretion and past referral practice. After clarification that the vote was only on adopting the committee report, the Senate rejected the report by a vote of 22-44.
The Senate then handled second readings of a slate of Senate and House bills and introduced two new Senate files: SF 4759, eliminating Cesar Chavez Day, referred to State and Local Government, and SF 4760, changing employment/occupation rules related to criminal convictions, referred to Judiciary and Public Safety. In motions and resolutions, several bills were re-referred with little or no opposition: SF 2689 was moved from State and Local Government to Judiciary and Public Safety but failed on a 30-35 vote; SF 4194 was moved from Taxes to Health and Human Services; SF 4274 was moved from Judiciary and Public Safety to Transportation; SF 4332 was moved from Environment, Climate, and Legacy to Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development; and SF 4592 was moved from Judiciary and Public Safety to Jobs and Economic Development. SF 4455 was also given a second reading and placed on General Orders. The session ended as the Senate moved into special orders.
CO
Colorado 2026 Regular Session
Colorado Senate 2026 Legislative Day 065 Mar 20th, 2026
Colorado Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- 55:58.240>
appointed Governments, Corey Applegate appointed Governments, Corey Applegate appointed - Simply put, it's about government.
- that governs least governs best.
- I understand the need, the role for good people to help run our government, state government, local governments
- , state government, local our government, state government, local governments.<01:12:37.800>
Um
Summary:
The Senate convened with a quorum, approved the journal, and received several committee reports and appointment recommendations. Committees reported favorably on a number of bills and appointments, including local government, health and human services, transportation and energy, business/labor/technology, and judiciary items. The chamber also announced a change on the Senate Finance Committee, with Senator Adrian Benavidez appointed to replace Senator Julie Gonzales for the remainder of the session.
A major floor item was House Bill 1136, creating the Pathways to Public Service Program in the Department of Personnel and Administration to identify coursework that could qualify students for entry-level state government jobs. Supporters said it would help attract young people to public service and fill state vacancies using existing resources; opponents argued it promoted government employment over private-sector careers and could expand government unnecessarily. After debate, the Senate adopted the bill on second reading, and the Committee of the Whole report later reflected that HB 1136 passed second reading and was ordered revised and placed on the calendar for third reading and final passage.
The Senate also adopted House Joint Resolution 1023 recognizing Latino/Latina Advocacy Day after reading it at length and hearing remarks in support of civic engagement and Latino participation in policymaking. In addition, the chamber concurred with House amendments to Senate Bill 74, which clarifies penalties and procedures related to excessive claims in public construction performance bond disputes; the bill then passed again on re-passage. Several other bills, including Senate Bill 63 and remaining calendar items, were laid over to later dates, and the Senate also considered and began processing consent-calendar gubernatorial appointments.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate SessionReading and Referral of Bills Feb 24th, 2025
Texas Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- Blanco, relating to the establishment of a county employee family leave pool program, to Local Government
- Bill 1023 by Bettencourt, relating to the calculation of certain ad valorem tax rates, to Local Government
- relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation, to Local Government
- Court relating to the calculation of certain ad valorum tax rates to local government.
- to submit a proposed charter amendment to the voters for approval, to Local Government.
Summary:
The Senate met briefly and referred a large number of first-reading bills and resolutions to standing committees. The measures covered a wide range of topics, including hemp regulation, dementia research funding, parental rights and public education, municipal library funding, tax and local government issues, criminal justice, health care, education, transportation, natural resources, and election law. Several constitutional resolutions were also referred, including proposals related to the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and a severance tax revenue fund.
Most of the transcript consists of the reading of bill captions and committee referrals, with no substantive debate or testimony recorded. The listed measures included proposals on school uniforms, charter schools, Medicaid fraud remedies, insurance practices, occupational licensing for people with criminal convictions, water and sewer utility cybersecurity, agricultural protections, public meeting broadcasting, and various local and state governance matters.
No votes were taken on the bills in this segment. The only formal action reflected was referral of the bills and resolutions to the appropriate committees, followed by adjournment of the Senate until the next scheduled meeting.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Municipal and County Government (01/23/2026)
Municipal and County Government
Transcript Highlights:
- . government. government.
- and county government. and county government.
- warrant article form of government. warrant article form of government.
- Schoolboard Governance Association? Schoolboard Governance Association?
- So, um, the<03:45:45.760>
government, the government, the government, we<03:45:47.600>we
OR
Oregon 2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee On Information Management and Technology 06/17/2026 8:30 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- And if you need a bill to... ...government investigations always require a warrant.
- It's all government to them.
- So the state's data governance policy... ...as well as the transparency website.
- So things like data governance, data operations, data analytics.
- So things like data governance, data operations, data analytics.
Summary:
The committee held a series of informational briefings on information management and technology issues. It first heard from ACLU representatives on data privacy, who argued that Oregon should strengthen protections against private data brokers, government purchases of personal data, reverse warrants, automatic license plate readers, and local police surveillance. They urged data minimization, limits on data sales and retention, and broader transparency and accountability measures. Members asked about practical uses of license plate readers, state sales of data, and how Oregon’s approach compares with other states; the presenters said similar proposals have been adopted elsewhere, including data minimization in Maryland and a state version of the Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale Act in Montana.
The committee then received a detailed update from the Department of Administrative Services and Enterprise Information Services on licensing system modernization for 14 boards and commissions with the most immediate need. DAS said it is seeking a shared procurement approach through an RFP that would create either one scalable system or two tiers of systems, depending on agency needs and security requirements, with contracts expected by September. Committee members emphasized the need for a more unified, user-friendly statewide login and service experience for businesses and residents, and raised concerns about small agencies “figuring it out on their own” without sufficient cybersecurity or technical expertise. EIS said it is overseeing the investment review, security and architecture review, and future implementation planning, and noted that multiple agency requests may still come back to the legislature in the next session.
The committee also discussed a revised cybersecurity incident notification concept. Staff explained that the earlier bill had raised stakeholder concerns, so the co-chairs directed further interim work with the Oregon Cybersecurity Advisory Council and other local government and K-12 stakeholders. The goal is a narrower, voluntary “911-style” notification process that would let public bodies alert peers and potentially receive assistance after cyber incidents; a temporary voluntary process is being tested now, with a work group developing language for possible 2027 consideration.
Finally, the committee heard updates from the new state chief data officer on data governance, data sharing, geospatial work, and the state transparency website, followed by a briefing on data centers from NCSL and the Technology Association of Oregon. The data officer described efforts to expand data inventories, data governance plans, data literacy, and interagency sharing, along with statewide aerial imagery, geospatial standards, and the open data portal. The data center discussion focused on national and state trends, including rapid growth in data centers, rising electricity and water demand, and legislative responses such as new rate classes, reporting requirements, and cost-allocation rules to protect ratepayers. No votes were taken; the meeting was informational only.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House environment, natural resources committee considers HF1425 3/11/25
Transcript Highlights:
- process that the federal government process that the federal government undertook<00:08:52.279><
- Now, apparently, that doesn't work when you're dealing with government-to-government.
- <00:24:13.159>
the markdown compared to the government the markdown compared to the government - >
you government to government apparently you government to government apparently you can<00:25 - reverts back to the federal government reverts back to the federal government but He said they were
Summary:
The committee took up HF 1425, which would prohibit the sale of state-owned school trust lands in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the federal government and instead require a land trade. Representative Skraba argued the federal wilderness law requires an exchange, not a sale, and said the state should trade Boundary Waters school trust lands for federal lands elsewhere, citing potential benefits for logging, mining, and school trust revenue. He said the current proposed sale price was too low and moved to lay the bill over for possible inclusion in a future bill. Later, he withdrew a DE1 amendment and instead moved to re-refer the bill to the Education Finance Committee, but that motion failed.
Testimony was largely opposed to the bill. Aaron Vandal of the Office of School Trust Lands said the exchange option was no longer viable, that the lands have produced no revenue for education for decades, and that selling them is the trust’s last opportunity to generate returns for schoolchildren. Bob Meyer of the DNR supported Vandal’s position and said the agency could not negotiate mineral rights in the way suggested. Aon Clems of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Amanda Hefner of Save the Boundary Waters both opposed HF 1425, though they emphasized different reasons: Clems argued a sale best fulfills the state’s fiduciary duty to maximize long-term returns for education, while Hefner said a sale would harm public education funding, align with the trust’s original purpose, and help consolidate federal ownership in the wilderness.
Members then questioned the valuation and the practical differences between a sale and an exchange. Representative Jacob challenged the low per-acre price and asked about the federal government’s set-aside amount, while Representative Fischer asked how the appraisal was determined. DNR lands and minerals director Joe Henderson explained the valuation came from an independent appraiser, was based on the wilderness restrictions and lack of development potential, and was from a 2020 appraisal that is now being updated. Representative Schultz supported the sale approach and said the state should not transfer the land at such a low price. The committee did not advance the bill to the Education Finance Committee.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- Now the state government finance committee and the resulting state government finance bill that you see
- <01:12:36.880>
the all of our government resources in the all of our government resources - Not one person in government, 45,000 employees in government, not one, Mr.
- <01:22:22.520>
Our corruption in our government. Our corruption in our government. - Good government and solution.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Local Government (7-29-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- local government and the industry. local government and the industry.
- . government. government.
- government kind of just reacting? government kind of just reacting?
- to<01:01:50.799>
manage government, good government to to manage government, good government - tax to local government and tourism? tax to local government and tourism?
Keywords:
Meeting Start: 00:00:05
Roll Call 00:00:12
Discussion of Legislative Measures 00:03:12
Discussion of Housing and Land Use 00:21:58
Discussion of Short Term Rental Policies 01:03:17
Adjournment 01:15:38, 958, all
Summary:
The committee approved the minutes from its June 4, 2025 meeting and then heard a series of presentations focused largely on housing and land-use policy. Senator Robbie Mills and Representative Josh Bray discussed two 2025 housing measures: Senate Bill 50, which would create residential infrastructure development districts to help local governments finance infrastructure for new housing developments through special assessments and local debt, and House Bill 7, which would let local governments identify development areas and rebate new property tax revenue to developers as an incentive for housing growth. They said Kentucky faces a statewide housing shortage of roughly 210,000 units, projected to grow if building patterns do not change, and argued that regulatory relief and financing tools are needed to increase supply.
Representative Rebecca Rymer presented House Bill 371, which would require local permitting when an industry’s residual waste landfill is located in a different county from the industry itself. She said current law lets such landfills bypass local review, leaving host counties with no say despite road impacts and other local burdens. She said the bill would preserve the existing exemption when the landfill and industry are co-located, and noted support from KLC and KO. Representative Steve Doan also described House Bill 806, a statewide backyard chicken bill that would allow domesticated hens, prohibit roosters, set a minimum of six hens that local governments could not go below, and preserve local authority over setbacks, sanitation, maintenance standards, and egg sales. He said it would override outright local bans but not HOA restrictions, and cited a current Northern Kentucky dispute and ADA litigation as reasons for the proposal.
The committee then heard a broader discussion on housing and land use from Charlie Gardner of the Mercatus Center and Nolan Gray of California YIMBY and the Bluegrass Institute. They outlined categories of land-use regulation, described the recent growth of state-level housing reforms nationwide, and cited examples such as ADU legalization, smaller lot sizes, reduced parking minimums, streamlined permitting, and single-stair or other building-code reforms. They argued that housing shortages are a statewide concern, that localities often have incentives to block growth, and that state intervention can reduce costs and uncertainty without compromising health and safety. Members asked about the housing shortage estimate, the effect of red tape on safety and local authority, and how state reforms could be phased in; the presenters said reforms often include lead time, can be targeted to larger jurisdictions, and should focus on reducing time and cost while maintaining basic standards.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House DFL Press Conference 5/6/25
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:05:13.199>
uh Cleorne from our state government uh Cleorne from our state government uh - ,<00:10:07.120>
for like state local government, for like state local government, for instance - government go after government<00:31:02.159>
workers <00:31:02.640>without <00:31:03.039 - >
any <00:31:03.360>evidence government workers without any evidence government workers - <00:31:41.919>
how we harden the target of government how we harden the target of government
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Dec 5th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Gordon James is also a Skokomish tribal member, and he’s provided government-to-government training for
- So our current mission states that GOIA promotes and strengthens the government-to-government relationship
- As part of our role of promoting and strengthening the government-to-government relationship, we serve
- As part of our education role, we provide government-to-government training to state leaders and staff
- Government should work for everyone.
Summary:
The committee heard a work session on voting access on tribal lands, beginning with a presentation from Dr. Chelsea Jones of the Brennan Center. She described barriers affecting Native voters and voters on tribal lands, including long travel distances to polling places and drop boxes, nontraditional addresses, unreliable postal service, language access, and limited broadband. Citing research, she said turnout on tribal lands trails turnout off tribal lands by about 10 percentage points nationally and about 10% in Washington, with larger gaps in some convenience voting measures. Members asked about the meaning of “lost votes,” the role of tribal leadership and community trust, and whether outreach by election officials and candidates could help; Dr. Jones emphasized that the study measured missed voting opportunities, not missing ballots, and that partnerships with trusted community leaders are important.
The University of Washington Elections Database then presented data on voter registration, turnout, signature challenges, curing, and ballot rejection for voters whose addresses fall within tribal reservation boundaries. The presenters said registration on reservations increased from about 107,000 in 2010 to 137,000 in 2024, turnout on reservations remained about 8 to 9 percentage points lower than outside reservations in recent general elections, and signature-challenge and rejection rates were generally low but somewhat higher in off-year elections. They reported that about 60% to two-thirds of signature-challenged ballots are cured, with cure rates similar inside and outside reservations, and that late return is the most common reason for primary ballot rejection while signature mismatch is the leading cause in general elections. A question was raised about USPS postmarking issues and how those might affect future data; the presenters said they plan to track return method and cure timing more closely.
The committee also received an overview of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. Staff reviewed the office’s history, the Centennial Accord, the Millennium Agreement, and related state-tribal frameworks, and GOIA Director Tim Rainan described the office’s role as a bridge between the state and tribal governments, including consultation, policy coordination, training, and convening work groups. He said GOIA now has six positions, is part of the governor’s executive cabinet, and is working on a statewide tribal relations training module and consultation handbook. In response to a question, he said tribal voting is not a major topic at the Centennial Accord but is discussed more extensively through ATNI. The committee then shifted to contracting equity, hearing from WSDOT, DES, OMWBE, and the Office of Equity. WSDOT described its race-neutral small business and veteran goals, mentorship and support programs, and its response to the federal suspension of the DBE program; DES discussed statewide contracting spend, the EDGE pilot for small construction firms, and efforts to improve procurement access; OMWBE reported growth in certified firms and about $371 million in state spend with certified firms in the most recent year, while noting ongoing impacts from federal DBE changes; and the Office of Equity outlined its broader work on agency consultation, dashboards, and systems change. No votes were taken.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Science, Technology and Telecommunications Nov 12th, 2025
Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- , statewide governance.
- You know, how's the governance going?
- Technology undergirds nearly all government initiatives.
- and state government.
- I believe that in government we should own the systems, not we. I've spent my career in government.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs (04/14/2026)
Election Law and Municipal Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- It's owned by government, right?
- <01:00:58.240>
They governing body and what to do. They governing body and what to do. - <01:27:55.840>
bodies members of uh the governing bodies members of uh the governing bodies - governing bodies saying not recommended. governing bodies saying not recommended.
- The governing board and one from the select board on the same governing body and one from the budget
FL
Florida 2025 Regular Session
December 9, 2025 - 09:30 AM
Transcript Highlights:
- bring them to the table in government.
- I rather it's learning was an appropriate governance structure.
- So you have a co a chief of staff and the general counsel and when governments just one government agencies
- Good policy in governance around. What does that process look like?
- >> I mean, I I have had these debates with other government attorneys, right?
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- , local government, municipal government that you can't do this.
- <01:54:45.920>
local <01:54:46.239>government state government local government state - government local government municipal<01:54:47.280>
government <01:54:48.000>that <01:54 - So, anything that the government is doing today, the state government, the local government is doing
- or local government.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee Jul 15th, 2026
Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- The federal government is trying.
- The federal government is trying.
- Let's go to work to create that pathway for good governance.
- government each year for all sorts of things, right?
- And in reality, governance from the local level is the best governance.
Summary:
The committee held its first meeting on artificial intelligence and data centers, establishing its purpose as a study and policy-development body rather than one aimed at producing many bills. Majority Leader Hogue urged members to move quickly, focus on federal and other states’ AI laws, consider possible federal preemption, child protections, and the siting and economic impacts of data centers. Committee leadership echoed that the goal is practical, balanced governance that protects North Dakota while allowing innovation to continue.
Legislative Council staff provided a background memo and NCSL presented a detailed overview of AI concepts and the current state legislative landscape. The presentations distinguished narrow AI, generative AI, agentic AI, and theoretical AGI/ASI, and summarized major state policy themes: comprehensive AI laws in states such as Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Illinois; targeted laws on deepfakes, chatbots, health, education, notifications, and digital likeness; and growing use of appropriations and agency inventories. Members asked about Colorado’s repeal and reenactment, Texas’s sandbox and training provisions, oversight structures, and whether AI regulation is bipartisan; presenters said most issues cut across party lines, with broad agreement on child safety and deepfakes but more division on broader regulatory approaches.
The federal update focused on executive orders, preemption, and congressional activity. NCSL described a White House framework favoring a single federal standard, a DOJ litigation task force, Commerce Department review of state laws, and possible funding conditions tied to state AI policy, though no formal state-law challenge had yet occurred. The presentation also covered a recent executive order creating a voluntary federal vetting process for advanced frontier models after safety concerns, and congressional proposals including a failed 10-year state moratorium, Senator Blackburn’s child-safety bills, the Kids Online Safety Act, a House-passed children’s digital safety package, a Senate data center moratorium proposal, and a House ratepayer/data-center bill. The committee took no formal action beyond receiving testimony and asking questions.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
Conference Committee on SF3045 5/9/25
Transcript Highlights:
- Uh you'll see government spreadsheet.
- :20.079>
bill excuse me not the state government bill excuse me not the state government bill - This has to do with when a subject of government data questions the accuracy of data that a government
- This has to do with when a subject of government data questions the accuracy of data that a government
- violation of laws governing grants. violation of laws governing grants. um<00:31:43.039>
that
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Can we add UT Dallas Student Government? Clerk: UT Dallas Student Government is being Clerk: added.
- and Texas government.
- History provides us with numerous examples of governments limiting classroom teaching and research, governments
- This is not shared governance.
- rights of self-government.
Bills:
SB 37
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Press Conference: DFL Members Discuss Federal Impacts, Medicaid, SNAP Cuts in 2026 Budget - 04/29/26
Transcript Highlights:
- >
money <00:04:01.800>coming The federal government has money coming The federal government - c> Minnesota,<00:04:18.000>
the government is providing Minnesota, the government is providing - <00:18:53.440>
Um governance advisory task force? Um governance advisory task force? - > and<00:19:37.920>
and government governance looks like and and government governance looks - about governance at HCMC? about governance at HCMC?
Summary:
Senate DFL senators discussed the Health and Human Services supplemental budget on the floor, framing it as a response to federal HR 1 and related Trump administration policies that they said shift costs to states, counties, hospitals, and families. Senators Liz Bolden, Lindsey Port, Erin Murphy, Alice Mann, and Rob Kupec argued the bill is needed to backfill cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, stabilize hospitals, and prevent property tax increases and service disruptions. They said the package totals about $700 million, with more than $250 million aimed at hospital support and roughly $300 million to help counties absorb food-support cost shifts.
Members described the federal changes as adding red tape and work-reporting requirements that would cause eligible people to lose coverage, with estimates cited of more than 150,000 Minnesotans losing Medicaid and about 62,000 losing individual-market coverage due to higher premiums. They also said counties would face new administrative burdens and hiring needs, and that rural hospitals, safety-net providers, and EMS systems would see more uncompensated care. One senator noted Dakota County could face an additional $11 million next year and property tax increases, while another said Minnesota hospitals could see charity care rise by more than $269 million next year.
The discussion also covered specific funding in the bill, including $300 million for hospital stabilization, with $150 million for HCMC, nearly $115 million for other hospital stabilization grants, almost $18 million for community safety-net providers, and $15 million for rural EMS uncompensated care. Senators said these funds are short-term measures, not long-term fixes, and that if the state did nothing, the health care system and SNAP administration could collapse. They said they do not expect Republican support in the Senate and suggested longer-term options could include federal changes after the next election or state-level tax changes on the ultra-wealthy. No vote outcome was stated in the excerpt, but the senators indicated the bill would move forward with DFL support.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Press Conference: Republican Members Propose New Legislation Addressing Fraud - 02/19/26
Transcript Highlights:
- government agencies. government agencies.
- Government appropriates the money.
- Government appropriates the money.
- Government appropriates the money.
- Government appropriates the money.
Summary:
Senate Republican leaders held a press event to roll out a package of anti-fraud proposals focused on state welfare and human services programs. Mark Johnson opened by citing recent fraud scandals, including a shuttered housing program and reports of vulnerable adults being left without care while providers billed for full services, and said Republicans want top-down reform, stronger accountability, new technology, and tighter oversight of taxpayer dollars. Michael Kreun said Republicans support an independent Office of Inspector General and argued the Senate-passed bill should not be weakened in the House; he also said the Senate should restore its role in confirming agency commissioners, especially at DHS, which he described as central to the fraud problem.
Jordan Rasmusson outlined a plan to stop “blank checks” for DHS and DCYF services by requiring legislative audit review when a program exceeds budget by 5 percent and legislative approval for additional spending at 10 percent over budget. He also said DHS should adopt basic integrity tools such as electronic visit verification and client sign-off. Steve Drazkowski described two bills: a statewide “do-not-pay” list to block payments to ineligible people or entities, and an “I’m Not a Robot” proposal for Medicaid managed care that would require enrollee verification forms, with a 2 percent payment withhold used to encourage compliance and potentially fund county system upgrades. Mark Krueger said the state should improve technology and data use for eligibility determinations, citing other states’ rapid fraud-fighting systems, and proposed penalties for false reporting to the Legislative Auditor after a DHS audit found falsified site-visit records.
Steve Gruenhagen said his bill would require DHS and DCYF to resume annual fraud-prevention and oversight reports to the legislature, which he said had stopped after 2017 despite rising fraud cases. Michael Holmstrom proposed unannounced site visits for all DHS and DCYF providers before enrollment, reenrollment, and revalidation, funded through provider service fees, and cited a recent case involving a woman with autism who was billed for far more care than she received. In the Q&A, Kreun said House Democrats’ delete-everything amendment to the inspector general bill removed the law enforcement division and stripped the bill of its “teeth,” and he suggested the governor’s office may have been involved in efforts to replace the bill with a weaker coordination council model. No votes were taken in the press conference.