Fogelman laments legislature's failure to pass anti-fraud package

For the third time in less than a week, bipartisan legislation that would begin to address Minnesota’s fraud epidemic has been stopped by Minnesota House Democrats, according to a press release issued by District 21B Rep. Marj Fogelman.

Said Fogelman, a Fulda Republican: “This state has lost at least $9 billion to fraud, and we can’t move an enforcement bill forward because one caucus is playing politics with needed legislation. With 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats in the House, we only need one Democrat to put people before politics. So far, we can’t find one.”

The legislation Fogelman references would create an independent Office of Inspector General (OIG). In order to help stop fraud in Minnesota, the legislation would establish the OIG and give it real investigative powers and enforcement authority. It would not be controlled by the Governor’s Office.

“Governor Walz has done nothing but downplay the fraud epidemic in Minnesota, as he literally told a reporter ‘this fraud thing happens in every state’ recently,” Fogelman said. “We have already seen one state agency try to cover its tracks by creating new documents and backdating others to hinder an investigation. With at least $9 billion already gone, we need to take action on fraud and stop worrying about Governor Walz’s feelings."