March 11, 2019
| Members Present: | Members Absent: |
| Representative Connie Bernardy | Representative Duane Quam |
| Representative Rick Hansen | |
| Senator Nick A. Frentz | |
| Senator Mark W. Koran |
Representative Bernardy, Chair, called the Legislative Audit Commission (LAC) Evaluation Subcommittee meeting to order at 8:33 a.m. The purpose of the meeting was to review the list of topics to be evaluated by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) suggested by legislators and others.
Representative Bernardy noted that a quorum was present, and then asked Judy Randall, Deputy Legislative Auditor, to explain the process. Ms. Randall mentioned that she had Representative Quam’s topic choices since he was unable to attend. Ms. Randall reviewed the tentative schedule for finalizing the topic selection process. She said that the goal today was to narrow the list of 95 topics down to 15. OLA staff would then conduct a preliminary review of each topic and develop a grid rating each topic against the topic-selection criteria.
Ms. Randall explained that the subcommittee usually picks one economic development incentive topic directly, rather than it being included on the legislative survey. She said there were three on the list and she suggested that OLA staff should complete a background on all three topics and the members agreed.
Representative Bernardy asked members to go through the list of topics and select their top two choices. They decided to move forward the ten topics that had two or more votes and agreed that each member would choose one additional topic, for a total of 15 topics. Representative Hansen motioned that the following list of 15 evaluation topics and 3 economic development topics be moved forward:
Board of Animal Health Oversight of Companion Animals and Commercial
Breeders
Compensatory Education Revenue
Driver Education
Fisheries Management and Hatcheries
Impact of School Choice
Licensing and Oversight of Child Care Centers
Liquor Regulation
Minnesota Department of Human Rights
Minnesota State Grant Program for Higher Education
Personal Care Assistance
Pesticide Regulation
Probation Practices
Public School Operating Levies
Public Utilities Commission
Safety in State Correctional Facilities
Economic Development Topics:
Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program
Data Center Sales Tax Incentive
Minnesota Job Creation Fund
The motion prevailed.
Ms. Randall reminded the subcommittee members that at the next meeting, they would whittle the list of 15 topics down to 10-12 “semi-finalist” topics that will then go on a legislative survey to gauge legislators’ interest in each topic.
With no further business, Representative Bernardy adjourned the meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Representative Connie Bernardy, Evaluation Subcommittee Chair
Shelly Gilb, Recording Secretary
