The Minnesota House votes Thursday on a bill that would establish an independent Office of Inspector General that will focus on fraud, a response to the widespread and ongoing instances of fraud discovered in state human services programs.
The concept of an Office of Inspector General, or OIG, failed to the pass the House last session, but it was approved by the state Senate. Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Dellwood, co-sponsors the current bill and said she believes it’ll finally pass.
“We have a bureaucratic mess for sure. This is a very much needed watchdog agency that actually has teeth,” she said.
The bill provides the OIG with full investigative and, eventually, full law enforcement authority within a year. While the bill was created in response to Medicaid fraud, it also allows investigation into other areas of mismanagement in state services.
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