Dear Neighbors,
It’s been another busy week in St. Paul with legislative committees meeting around the clock in order to meet Friday’s second committee deadline. In addition to committee work, a number of bills have come to the House floor for a vote in recent days.
Just last week, the House unanimously approved legislation that will assist farmers in recovering from near-record amounts of snow that have fallen all across the state. As of late last week, nearly 50 agricultural buildings had suffered roof collapse, with most of those being dairy structures.
The legislation that was approved last Thursday allows buildings damaged by heavy snow and roof collapse to be eligible for zero-percent loans from the Rural Finance Authority.
I am pleased that both Republicans and Democrats were able to come together on this important legislation to assist our farmers.
In addition to last week’s disaster legislation, I am proud to join my colleagues in the Senate to urge House Democrats and the Governor to support a bill that would replenish Minnesota's Disaster Contingency Account, which currently sits empty. This legislation would set aside $20 million to ensure that communities and counties can access these funds when flooding occurs.
With record snowfall this winter, experts have warned that communities across Minnesota are at risk of substantial flooding this spring.
We worked to set aside funds now so they don't get tied up in end-of-session politics. We want funds available immediately to help communities all across Minnesota respond to flooding as quickly as possible.
CCAP Update
This week, the Inspector General at the Department of Human Services (DHS), Carolyn Ham, was placed on investigative leave. I believe this action came as a result of Republicans demanding the IG be held accountable after the legislative auditor's report was made public this last Wednesday.
While the legislative auditor could not substantiate the explosive claim that $100 million worth of fraud existed in the program, he does believe that the extent of fraud is larger than the $5-$6 million in restitution payments ordered in prosecuted cases thus far.
Further, the report also found that the CCAP fraud investigators at DHS generally agree that there is a substantial amount of fraud in the CCAP program.
I am concerned that House Democrats are not taking the report seriously enough as they have yet to schedule a hearing on the report. As for myself, I will continue to push for additional reforms and controls to CCAP to ensure program integrity. Without significant changes, I'm concerned continued fraudulent activity has compromised the foundation of Child Care Assistance Program, and without drastic changes, it could collapse.
Staying in Touch
That’s all for this week’s update. I will have more information for you as the session progresses. In the meantime, I urge you to contact me to share any thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4333 or via email at rep.josh.heintzeman@house.mn.
Thanks and have a great weekend,
Josh