The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee meets for the first time Monday morning at the State Capitol.
Rep. Marion Rarick (R- Maple Lake) went over a long list of nonprofits and the amount of state money they received.
"It's impossible for a committee to possibly do due diligence on that many nonprofits, grants and so on and so on," says Rarick. "So I'm really looking forward to this and having an opportunity, like I said, I worked 20 years and various nonprofits and I'm very interested to see how this process happens."
Committee Chair Kristin Robbins (R- Maple Grove) says the GOP-led panel will hear how the process works and try to find solutions that will ensure the tax money is distributed properly to non-profits.
"We are committed to doing this work and that we are responding to what Minnesotans want," says Robbins. "They don't want their taxpayer money wasted and they also want services provided to people who need them and that doesn't happen when there's fraud. People who deserve services are not being well served."
The state has had issues with fraud over the last several years, highlighted by the massive COVID-fraud perpetrated by the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
Opening statements are scheduled for Monday in downtown Minneapolis in a trial of Aimee Bock who is the founder of Feeding Our Future, and she's accused of being the ringleader in the scheme that took money from a taxpayer-funded child nutrition program.
Robbins will chair the House Committee for two years as part of last week's power-sharing deal struck between Republicans and Democrats last week.
"Minnesotans want us to do this work, and I think the strength of our committee going forward," says Robbins. "And the fact that I will continue to be chair for two years and not go to a co-chair relationship shows that that we are committed to doing this work and that we are responding to what Minnesotans want."
Republicans also hold a 5-3 voting margin over the DFL over the two-years.