ST. PAUL, Minn. — Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, issued the following statement after it was reported Gov. Mark Dayton issued potentially unauthorized taxpayer-funded severance payments, awarding nearly $80,000 to state employees who voluntarily departed.
“These retirement bonuses are a departure from past practice and this issue needs to be looked at during the 2017 legislative session,” Knoblach said. “More checks and balances should be in place so governors are not in position to unilaterally hand out the huge raises to their commissioners such as in 2015, or issue the significant payouts for people voluntarily retiring from state government we are seeing this time around.”
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