WORRIED ABOUT.

ONE REASON HE GOT ELECTED.

>> Mary: HERE WITH US NOW, THE NEW FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR, YOU JUST SAW HER IN ACTION, SHE'S REPUBLICAN KRISTIN ROBBINS.

FIRST OF ALL OF, HOW IMPORTANT AND SYMBOLIC WAS THAT THE VERY FIRST COMMITTEE HEARING GETS TO BE YOURS?

>> YES, IT'S A GREAT COMMITTEE SLOT, 8:15 ON MONDAY MORNINGS, WE START THE WEEK OUT FOCUSED ON FRAUD, I THINK IT SETS A GOOD TONE FOR THE WHOLE WEEK AT THE LEGISLATURE.

ALL COMMITTEE CHAIRS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FRAUD.

>> Mary: I WAS JOKING EARLIER, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD OF INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK A WHILE BACK FEDERALLY.

BUT T KIND OF BECAME FRAUD WEEK AT THE CAPITOL.

DID YOU KNOW THAT, DID YOU SEE IT COMING OR WAS IT LUCKY SCHEDULING?

>> YEAH, I JUST THINK IT'S HOW THE SCHEDULE WORKED.

I ALSO THINK IT'S REALLY DRIVEN BY THE PUBLIC'S FRUSTRATION.

WE HAVE HAD $610 MILLION IN FRAUD THAT WE KNOW OF OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS.

AND THE PUBLIC IS FED UP.

AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S REALLY DRIVING THE MOMENTUM ON GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.

>> Mary: THE HEADLINES HAVEN'T STOPPED, AND THE INVESTIGATIONS HAVEN'T STOPPED.

DO WE HAVE GOOD HANDLE?

I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN USING THAT $600 MILLION OR SO NUMBER.

I'VE HEARD SOME FOLKS SPECULATE THAT THIS COULD BE UPWARDS OF A BILLION.

>> RIGHT.

THERE'S ALLEGATIONS OF THAT.

WE STILL HAVE TO DO MORE DIGGING BUT I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED.

AND IT'S SO SAD FOR MINNESOTANS.

THOSE ARE DOLLARS THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE TO BE HELPING PEOPLE, AND IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HELPING PEOPLE, THEY SHOULD BE BACK IN MINNESOTANS' POCKETS.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE OTHER CHAMBER, A SENATE, YOU SAW THAT, A BIPARTISAN BILL PRESENTATION, IT SAILS OUT OF COMMITTEE.

>> YEAH.

>> Mary: OVER HERE IN THE HOUSE, THERE WAS SOME PARTY-LINE VOTES N SOME OF THE FRAUD BILLS.

YOU'RE NOT IN THE SAME PLACE, WHY IS THAT?

>> YEAH, IT'S DISAPPOINTING.

HONESTLY, IT'S REALLY SURPRISING TO ME.

SO, I REALLY THINK FRAUD IS A BIPARTISAN ISSUE.

AND WE HAVE GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR DEMOCRAT COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMITTEE.

THE GOVERNOR CAME OUT WITH HIS PROPOSAL.

AND I CARRY A WHISTLEBLOWER BILL THAT'S EXPANDING WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS FOR STATE WORKERS.

>> Mary: DO YOU HAVE DEMOCRATIC CO-AUTHORS?

>> I DON'T.

IN THE SENATE, THE BILL PASSED UNANIMOUSLY, BIPARTISANLY, OUT OF COMMITTEE.

AND IN THE HOUSE, THIS WEEK, IT PASSED ON A PARTY-LINE VOTE.

>> Mary: I MEAN BE, TO BE FRANK, IS THIS RESIDUAL HARD FEELINGS OF THE LAST MONTH, THE BOYCOTT, IS IT GOING TO BE HARD SLETTING IN THE HOUSE?

>> I HOPE NOT.

AT LEAST NOT ON FRAUD.

I THINK BUDGET ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH, NO MATTER WHAT.

BUT I THINK FRAUD, IT'S A SEPARATION OF POWERS ISSUE.

THE LEGISLATURE APPROPRIATES THE MONEY, AND WE SHOULD BE OVERSEEING THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

SO, I THINK T HOULD BE BIPARTISAN THAT MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE WANT TO MAKE SURE MINNESOTANS' MONEY IS NOT WASTED.

>> Mary: IS IT HARD FOR REPUBLICANS TO MESSAGE ON THAT WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON?

YOU TALK ABOUT SEPARATION OF POWER, KEEPING AN EYE ON THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

WE SAW, YOU KNOW, INSPECTOR GENERAL BILL IN BOTH CHAMBERS.

WHILE THE PRESIDENT IS GETTING RID OF INSPECTORS GENERAL.

IS THAT HARD TO MESSAGE WITH WASHINGTON?

>> I DON'T THINK SO.

I MEAN, THE ISSUES IN MINNESOTA ARE SO ENORMOUS, AS DEMOCRAT U.S. ATTORNEY ANDY LUGER SAID, MINNESOTA HAS THE BIGGEST FRAUD PROBLEM HE'S SEEN IN THE COUNTRY, SO WE HAVE TO DO OUR WORK AND FOCUS ON THE STATE FRAUD ISSUES, GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT, CLEAN IT UP, AND THEN PUT IN PROCESSES THAT WE CAN STOP IT IN THE FUTURE.

>> Mary: PART OF THE NEWS THIS WEEK WAS THE LETTER WRITTEN BY HOUSE LEADERSHIP.

>> YES.

>> Mary: YOU WERE ON THAT, TOO?

>> YES.

>> Mary: ASKING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE NOW.

>> YES.

>> Mary: APPOINT A U.S. ATTORNEY.

HAVE YOU HAD A RESPONSE?

>> WE HAVE NOT.

BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

SO THE FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, ANDY LUGER, WAS A DEMOCRAT, HE DID FANTASTIC WORK GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT FEEDING OUR FUTURE SCANDAL.

WE NEED ANOTHER U.S. ATTORNEY APPOINTED HERE IN MINNESOTA WHO CAN CONTINUE THAT WORK BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE DOLLARS ARE FEDERAL MEDICAID DOLLARS, AND, SO, IT'S OUT OF THE PURVIEW OF OUR COMMITTEE BECAUSE IT'S FEDERAL MONEY.

SO WE NEED THAT FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP HERE IN MINNESOTA.

>> Mary: IT WAS INTERESTING IN THE SENATE HEARING ON THE BILLS THAT THE CHAIR MADE A POINT TO SAY, ET'S NOT DO A WITCH HUNT HERE ON STATE AGENCIES.

AND THEY WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR, I THINK DEMOCRATS HAVE TRIED TO MESSAGE THAT THE FRAUD WAS COMMITTED AGAINST STATE AGENCIES, THAT IT WASN'T NECESSARILY THE STATE AGENCIES, THAT THERE WERE CRIMINALS WHO ARE BEING CONVICTED, WHO ARE IN TRIAL THIS WEEK, IN FACT, ON THIS, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, GETTING IT CLEAR THAT IT WAS STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY THAT WAS STOLEN.

>> RIGHT.

YOU NOW, I THINK, IN GENERAL, THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE AGENCIES WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

>> Mary: YEAH.

>> AS THE O.L.A.

POINTED OUT IN THE HEARING THIS WEEK, A LOT OF IT IS TRAINING.

THE OFFICE OF GRANTS MANAGEMENT DOES NOT APPARENTLY DO TRAINING ON FRAUD PREVENTION OR ON, YOU KNOW, CLOSING OUT GRANTS.

>> Mary: YEAH.

>> AND COMPLIANCE.

SO WE NEED TO BEEF UP THE TRAINING THAT STATE WORKERS GET.

BUT THEN WE ALSO NEED TO HOLD STATE WORKERS ACCOUNTABLE.

SO IF THEY ARE MANAGING A PROGRAM THAT IS FRAUDULENT AND THEY HAVEN'T NOTICED IT OR THEY HAVEN'T REQUIRED ROGRESS REPORTS OR THEY HAVEN'T PROPERLY CLOSED OUT A GRANT, WE DO NEED TO PROVIDE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WORKERS, BUT THAT'S WHY I HAVE THE WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION BILL.

WE NEED TO EXPAND WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS SO STATE WORKERS FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING FORWARD.

>> Mary: LAST QUESTION, ANOTHER BRANCH F GOVERNMENT, THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

WE HEARD STORE KORAN SAYING HE CAN'T GET A MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR, HE HAS LOTS OF IDEA ON THIS, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM THE GOVERNOR, IS HE LEANING N ON THIS?

>> HE GAVE ME A CALL, WE SAW EACH OTHER WHEN HE BROUGHT BROWNIES TO THE FLOOR THE OTHER DAY, WE HAD A NICE GREETING.

I THINK HE'S VERY INTERESTED IN GETTING THIS WORK DONE.

I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HE CAN DO IS HE'LL HAVE HIS PROPOSALS, THEY'LL CERTAINLY GET A HEARING.

BUT THE OTHER THING IS O GET HIS COMMISSIONERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE AGENCIES TO COME AND TESTIFY AND TO RESPOND TO OUR DATA REQUEST, THAT WOULD SHOW GOOD FAITH.

>> Mary: WHICH CAN NOW