Nelson: Local Tours, Changes, and Grant Applications
Friends and neighbors, Early summer greetings! I hope you survived our multitude of storms without much damage. We had a huge tree succumb to high winds in our backyard. It took a 150 ton crane…
Jasinski: Riverland Community College to bring training closer to ‘home’ for southern MN cities
Cities across southern Minnesota are experiencing a shortage of water and wastewater operators. Southeast Minnesota cities work together to solve issues as members of the Southeastern Minnesota League of Municipalities (SEMLM), the only regional organization of cities in…
Nelson congratulates local arts grants award winners
The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) has awarded over $120,000 in grants to arts organizations across Dodge and Olmsted County. The funds will support youth programs, theatrical productions, concerts, festivals and more in Dodge and…
Sen. Lucero: Audits Confirm Pervasive Fraud Allowed by Walz Administration
Minnesota’s nonpartisan Legislative Auditor recently issued reports investigating the Walz administration’s bungled handling of two taxpayer-funded programs: the Feeding our Future child nutrition fraud scheme and the Frontline Worker Pay program. The findings outlined in…
Gruenhagen: Two scathing Walz admin fraud audits
Friends and neighbors, This week we received two scathing reports on fraud of taxpayer programs that have occurred under the Walz administration. These reports expose widespread mismanagement, lack of oversight, and failures to prevent theft…
Gruenhagen: Democrats silence parent concerns about explicit books
Friends and neighbors, This year Democrats passed a deeply troubling new law that would give licensed librarians sole authority over what books are placed in school libraries. It strips away the ability of parents and…
Community members gather in Elbow Lake to learn about $30 million rural EMS aid package
On Monday, June 10, State Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) along with State Representatives Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) and Tom Murphy (R-Underwood) hosted a town hall meeting on the $30 million rural emergency medical services…
One Positive Bill at the End of Session, and an EMS Fix That Will Assist Greater Minnesota
Though many may have seen the extreme discontent in the final hours of session, there was one thing that I wanted to take a moment to highlight, and that is a much-needed Emergency Medical Services…
Eichorn: Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Continues in the Walz Administration
In under a week, two scathing reports of potential and confirmed fraud have come to light. The waste, fraud, and abuse that the Walz Administration has enabled is unacceptable. It’s critically important that we hold…
Senator Rasmusson blasts Walz Admin after OLA report highlights significant failures to stop Feeding Our Future fraud
On Thursday, June 13, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) shared its latest reporton the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) oversight of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. The report found MDE’s oversight of…
Lieske: VIETNAM VETERANS: SHARE YOUR STORY
Friends and neighbors, I hope all Vietnam War veterans across our state will take the opportunity to share their stories as part of the ongoing Vietnam War Commemoration Oral History Project. For too long, the…
Senator Bruce Anderson: Walz administration allowed $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud to flourish
Friends and neighbors, Throughout the pandemic, Minnesota nonprofit “Feeding Our Future” claimed to carry out its mission of providing nutritious meals to children. The reality, however, is that this organization was carrying out a massive…
Lieske: 9/11 VETERAN SERVICE BONUS DEADLINE APPROACHING
Friends and neighbors, The deadline is rapidly approaching for Minnesota’s veterans of the Post-9/11 era to apply for the service bonus they have rightfully earned. If you or someone you know is one of the…
Lieske: Scathing reports on Walz admin fraud
Friends and neighbors, This week we received two blistering reports on fraud of taxpayer programs that has occurred under the Walz administration. These reports reveal a disturbing pattern of mismanagement, lack of oversight, and failure…
Kreun Calls Out Department Of Education For Failing To Protect Taxpayer Dollars, Ensure Resources Reached Children In Need
In response to the recent report of alarming misuse of taxpayer funds by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Senator Michael Kreun (R- Blaine) criticized MDE for its failure to protect taxpayers. “Minnesotans have been…
Drazkowski statement on Feeding our Future fraud audit
Minnesota State Senator Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) today issued this statement following the release of a scathing audit of Minnesota’s Department of Education (MDE) and the Feeding our Future fraud scandal. “Today’s Feeding Our Future audit…
Senator Nelson repeats calls for accountability, transparency following another new report of taxpayer program fraud
A new report from Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor has uncovered yet another example of significant fraud and mismanagement in a state’s COVID-19 pandemic program. The audit of the Frontline Worker Pay program found that lax eligibility…
Senate GOP blasts Walz Admin after OLA report highlights significant failures to stop Feeding Our Future fraud
Today Senate Republicans held a press conference to respond a devastating report from the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reviewing Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) oversight of the nonprofit Feeding our Future. The report found MDE’s oversight…
Jasinski: Rare bipartisan victories this year
By: SENATOR JOHN JASINSKI As I have written many times, Democrat one-party control has been immensely frustrating and concerning for those of us who believe in relationships and a collaborative government. The Democrats’ zeal for…
State’s bungling of frontline worker benefit program made it easy to defraud, hard to verify eligibility, resulted in much smaller than expected checks for workers
Today the Office and the Legislative Auditor released its financial audit report on how the state ran the 2022 Frontline Worker Pay Program. A bipartisan, bicameral working group met to determine who would be eligible…