What's next for the new Minnesota Office of Inspector General tasked with fighting fraud?
Minnesota lawmakers with broad bipartisan support this year approved a new watchdog agency tasked with fighting fraud that's plagued social services programs in the state for years.
The Office of Inspector General is set to be an independent agency tasked with preventing waste, fraud and abuse. It's empowered to conduct investigations and instruct departments to withhold payments if there are credible allegations of fraud, among other duties.
When will the inspector general be hired?
There is a job posted for the position to lead the agency, and the application deadline is on Friday. Among the qualifications the state is asking for are professional experience in auditing, investigations, law enforcement or program integrity.
But the process for hiring isn't typical. A bipartisan legislative commission will review the applicants and select a few to recommend to the next governor in January. Whoever she chooses will then be subject to a three-fifths majority vote in the Senate.
That vote is expected in February, said Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, who was one of the Senate authors on the legislation.
"We want this office — and the Minnesotans expect this office — to be independent, so that it can do its job, and end fraud and hold people accountable," he said.
The inspector general will then work to build out the staff so the office is operational by the end of 2027. They may add a law enforcement division if needed.
Kreun and other Republicans — as well as some Democrats — on Tuesday raised concerns that Walz's administration was set to post additional roles in the office next week, even though the inspector general hasn't been named yet.
Walz's office said there is a transition team with the Minnesota Department of Administration to assist, but that they are not hiring for any position in that office beyond the inspector general job that is posted. When asked about posting additional jobs, a spokesperson said plainly in a statement, "That is not happening."
"It is an independent office. We worked really hard to make that language clear, and no governor, especially Gov. Walz, will be included in deciding who makes up this office," said Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, who was the lead Democrat on the bill in the Senate.
When will the Office of Inspector General be up and running?
Kreun said he expects an operational Office of Inspector General by the end of 2027, with different parts of the transition spelled out in the law by June. For example, existing inspectors general that operate in state agencies will migrate to the new office.
The inspector general will give a report to the Legislature by December 2027.
Over $1.8 million is earmarked for the new office this fiscal year. The bill sets baseline funding for future budgets at $5.8 million, but how much money the office ultimately gets will be part of negotiations in the next legislative session.
