Good morning, and happy Tuesday.
The chair of the Minnesota Senate Education Committee, Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, released a blistering report on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and its oversight of grants designed to help feed children.The Star Tribune reports: The report, issued Monday, concluded that leaders of the education department "either did not know how to responsibly manage" the federally funded meals program or "found the faithful execution of those duties burdensome and optional." MDE officials declined an interview request but spokesman Kevin Burns defended the department's oversight of the meals program, noting MDE reported its fraud suspicions to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the $200 billion meals program. "MDE moved quickly and repeatedly raised the issue to federal authorities until we were able to find someone who would take the troubling spending as seriously as we were," Burns said in the statement. "Even when MDE stopped payments to Feeding our Future, a court informed MDE the payments must continue. Because of MDE's early action, the federal government opened an investigation, which we have fully supported." Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have declined to comment, citing the ongoing FBI investigation.
Sen. Chuck Wiger, DFL-Maplewood, who is the lead Democrat on the Senate Education committee responded with a written statement: “The Senate DFL has always fully supported the ongoing federal investigation as well as the expected nonpartisan legislative auditor investigation that will provide thorough answers to some of these important questions,” Wiger said. “It’s unfortunate that Republicans released a one-sided, partisan press release instead of being willing to work with all members of the committee to get to the bottom of this important topic.”
A Traverse County prosecutor is challenging a Minnesota district court ruling that prevented him from intervening to appeal a decision in an abortion case. MPR's Dana Ferguson reports Traverse County Attorney Matthew Franzese is asking the Minnesota court of appeals to overturn a Ramsey County judge's decision that prevented him from getting involved in the case that threw out several restrictions on abortion in Minnesota. In his motion, Franzese tells the appeals court that the lower court erred in ruling against him. And he said the Ramsey County judge went too far when he determined that the restrictions on abortion were unconstitutional. The restrictions included a 24-hour waiting period to obtain an abortion, a sign-off from both parents for minors seeking an abortion, and a requirement that only physicians could perform abortions in Minnesota. Attorney General Keith Ellison in July said he wouldn’t appeal Judge Thomas Gilligan’s ruling blocking the laws because he didn’t think the state would succeed.
The Minnesota Department of Health supports creating a new mental health hospital at the old Bethesda Hospital site in St. Paul.The Pioneer Press reports: While acknowledging “significant concerns” with the lack of emergency services for patients in crisis, the Minnesota Department of Health has found that moving forward with a new mental health hospital at the old Bethesda Hospital location in St. Paul is in the public interest due to the shortage of inpatient mental health beds. Approval from state health officials was one of the final hurdles facing Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Tennessee-based Acadia Healthcare, which have formed a partnership to finance and operate a new facility licensed for 144 inpatient beds. A state review noted the new beds would partially — but not fully — offset mental health beds recently lost at St. Joseph’s Hospital in downtown St. Paul.
Minnesota collected $69 million more in taxes last month than forecasts had projected. The August numbers now put state revenue collections 3.7 percent ahead of what was expected, or $3.7 Billion above what was forecast. Sales tax revenue was the only source that ran behind projections in August. The numbers Monday from Minnesota Management and Budget don't tell the whole story on the state budget, since they don't include spending. But the state already has a multi-billion dollar surplus after the Legislature was unable to agree on how to use the money when time ran out on the session earlier this year.
A new national poll shows most Americans don’t think the country’s health care system is handled well.The Associated Press reports only 12 percent say it is handled extremely or very well. Americans have similar views about health care for older adults. Overall, the public gives even lower marks for how prescription drug costs, the quality of care at nursing homes and mental health care are being handled, with just 6 percent or less saying those health services are done very well in the country. “Navigating the American health care system is exceedingly frustrating,” said A. Mark Fendrick, the director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. “The COVID pandemic has only made it worse.” | 