Representatives from Minnesota’s technology agency, MN.IT today testified before the Senate Health and Human Services Finance Committee regarding a data breach that exposed the private information of 21,000 Minnesotans, including names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers.

Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake) issued the following statement.

“I am extremely disappointed with the lack of answers from the Department of Human Services today regarding the data breach that put 21,000 Minnesotans at risk of identity theft. State agencies are failing miserably, but rather than figure out how to fix their mistakes they seem satisfied to make excuses. Government bureaucracy has failed to protect the private data of people on public programs and continues to mismanage IT projects. Yet we are supposed to trust the private data of all 5.5 million Minnesotans would be secure under a government-run health care system? It’s just reckless.”