With an overwhelming bipartisan vote, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation Thursday to establish a statewide Office of the Inspector General. This development comes in the final weeks of a legislative session dominated by discussions of fraud in government programs.
Under SF 856, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) would be created as a part of the state’s executive branch of government and report directly to the governor. However, the office would “not be subject to direction or interference from any executive or legislative authority.”
As such, the OIG would be an independent entity and operate separately from all executive branch agencies.
Further, the inspector general would be selected via a three-step process: recommendation from a commission made up of four Republicans and four Democrats, selection by the governor, and a confirmation vote from three-fifths of the Senate.
An inspector general’s term would run for five-years and could be renewed an unlimited number of times. Only a three-fifths vote of the Senate would be necessary to renew an inspector general’s term.
Upon taking office, the inspector general would be responsible for auditing, investigating, and evaluating state government agencies and programs. The office would identify fraud and issue recommendations to safeguard tax dollars. In addition to having subpoena power, the office would be able to establish its own law enforcement agency to conduct investigations.
SF 856 also mandates that the inspector general, and all employees of the agency, refrain from engaging in partisan political activity.
Authored by Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, and Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, SF 856 was passed in a bipartisan vote of 60-7. The seven legislators who voted against the bill were all Democrats.
SF 856 has now been transferred to the Minnesota House of Representatives for lawmakers to consider. The House is evenly divided with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats.
A spokesperson for the House GOP Caucus told Alpha News that they are reviewing SF 856 and the bill’s path forward. The spokesperson noted that “addressing fraud remains a top priority and an OIG independent from the governor was our [first bill] at the start of session.”
Alpha News reached out to the House DFL Caucus regarding SF 856 but did not immediately hear back.
In recent days, Gov. Tim Walz has signaled his openness to signing legislation that would establish a statewide OIG.
The 2025 legislative session in Minnesota is scheduled to conclude on May 19th.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
