Overview
- The Minnesota House passed the inspector general bill Thursday on a 127-5 vote, and Gov. Tim Walz has said he will sign it if it reaches his desk.
- The new office would investigate any public or private group that spends state dollars, set fraud-prevention rules for agencies, and improve data sharing across departments.
- Under a bipartisan deal, the office would refer criminal cases to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at first, with the option to add its own law enforcement arm later.
- The inspector general would be chosen by the governor from a bipartisan shortlist, serve a five-year term, and require a three-fifths vote in the Senate for confirmation.
- Parallel bills would expand the attorney general’s Medicaid fraud unit with 18 hires and direct subpoena power for financial records, and lower the bar to pause payments when misuse is suspected.