Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gives final State of the State address Tuesday

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered his final State of the State address on Tuesday, focusing on fraud and what he considers his long list of legislative accomplishments.

His speech was laced with references to the tragedies the state has endured.

"Our season of grief began last summer when we lost Melissa and Mark," Walz said.

The governor went on to list the state's other tragedies as the Hortmans' adult children and parents of Annunciation victims looked on from the gallery. He also cited the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"We gather tonight in the long shadow of all of these tragic, transformative losses and yet the state of our state remains strong," Walz said.

Walz ticked off a list of what he and the DFL see as historic legislative accomplishments.

"Since paid leave officially launched on Jan. 1, we have approved more than 54,000 applications," he said.

Walz acknowledged the overwhelming and continuing toll of fraud.

"As we have seen in recent months, and just today, the more generous your support system, the more oversight you need," he said.

After the speech, Republicans said the governor's actions are too little too late.

"From just hearing from the governor, I would say the state of the state of Minnesota is somewhat disappointing," Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Lisa Demuth said.

The governor also threw out a few proposals he wanted passed, including an expansion of the child tax credit and a tax on social media companies to fund Minnesota's plan to deal with the impacts of artificial intelligence.

Walz originally planned to run for a third term, but reversed course amid repeated attacks by Republicans at the state and federal level over fraud in the state.

The fraud scandal, which included the Feeding Our Future scheme that prosecutors called the largest pandemic fraud operation in the country, has become one of the defining narratives of Walz's second term. He has repeatedly denied his administration ignored or covered up fraud, touted the state's prosecution of fraudsters, appointed an investigator to address the issue and proposed anti-fraud legislation.

"Although Minnesota's programs have overwhelmingly achieved their intended purpose, they're not immune from fraud. I'll be the first to acknowledge that," Walz said in March during a House Oversight Committee hearing. "But let me be clear: In Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we'll find you, we'll prosecute you, we'll convict you and we'll throw you in jail."  

In the past year, Walz has also led the state through the assassination of a state lawmaker, a mass shooting during a school church service and a surge of federal immigration agents targeting the state and killing two of its residents.

Walz's second term also featured an unsuccessful bid for the White House alongside Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. He told MS NOW in January that once he leaves the governor's office he "will never run for an elected office again," instead focusing on "other ways to serve," including returning to teaching.