West Twin Cities

Representative Dawn Gillman, R-Dassel, has commented on the recent arrest connected to the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation. In her statement, Gillman called for increased efforts from both the legislature and the Governor to address fraud and hold those responsible accountable.

"The latest arrest related to Feeding Our Future shows that the legislature and the Governor need to step up big time – we need to take real steps to root out fraud and ensure accountability for those who enable it," said Gillman. "The woman arrested this week has been involved in MDH-licensed businesses for nearly 20 years. House Democrats had the opportunity to stop fraud like this in its tracks by passing a bill for an independent OIG on the last night of session. It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, but instead of joining House Republicans to send it to the Governor, Democrats locked arms against it. I look forward to working with the Human Services Working Group to create more guardrails around program integrity during special session."

Gillman noted that one of those arrested had a long history of involvement in businesses licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). She also criticized House Democrats for not supporting legislation that would have established an independent Office of Inspector General (OIG), which she argued could have helped prevent such incidents. The proposal received strong bipartisan backing in the Senate but did not advance in the House.

Gillman expressed her intention to collaborate with others during a special session aimed at improving oversight and safeguards for state programs.