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State Representative Ryan Winkler
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7026
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Press/News Releases
WINKLER WORRIES $9 BILLION COULD FALL DOWN RABBIT HOLE OF STATE GOVERNMENT
ST. PAUL - No, this isn’t Wonderland - $9 billion in federal dollars are coming to the State of Minnesota to help boost our struggling economy and put an estimated 66,000 Minnesotans back to work. But Rep. Ryan Winkler is worried some of that stimulus is going to follow Alice right down the Rabbit Hole of the Pawlenty Administration, as year-after-year millions of dollars have disappeared from state agencies.
“Our auditors told us last week what the administration has been afraid to tell us - a lack of internal financial controls at state agencies has severely eroded oversight and accountability in state government," said Winkler. “State employees are perpetrating fraud against Minnesota taxpayers, and getting away with it.”
In last week’s troubling report, nonpartisan Legislative Auditor James Nobles indicated several state agencies, including the departments of Finance, Transportation, and Education need to significantly improve their financial oversight measures. In a letter to the Legislature regarding fraud at the Department of Human Services Mr. Nobles stated, “OLA’s review determined that Ms. Austen was able to perpetrate a fraud over an extended period of time because of internal control weaknesses at the departments of Human Services and Finance (now called Minnesota Management and Budget).” Both documents can be found on the OLA website: www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us.
“In this economy we need the governor to be serious about managing the state’s business, totally focused on ensuring taxpayer dollars are well-protected from fraud and lax oversight,” Rep. Winkler said. “We need more than a Mad Hatter governor focused solely on higher political ambitions.”
Spurred by a troubling trend of mismanagement at state agencies in Minnesota, Rep. Winkler has introduced several bills this session to enhance oversight and accountability in state government. He is committed to serious reform in state government to ensure every tax dollar, including $9 billion in new funding from the federal government, is well-protected and spent wisely to rebuild Minnesota’s struggling economy.
News Items
- Statement on Budget Forecast - (Posted: 2012-12-05 00:00:00)
- Statement on Final I-35 W Bridge Settlement - (Posted: 2012-11-13 00:00:00)
- Rep. Winkler: Tea Party Activists Can’t Be Trusted to Reform Our Elections - (Posted: 2012-11-01 00:00:00)
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