Office of the Legislative Auditor

Legislative Audit Commission

Evaluation Subcommittee
Minutes

June 3, 2021

Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, Chair, called the Legislative Audit Commission (LAC) Evaluation Subcommittee to order at 8:01 a.m. Chair Kiffmeyer said the purpose of the meeting was to select for recommendation to the Legislative Audit Commission five topics out of the ten topics that had been sent to legislators in the legislative survey. Chair Kiffmeyer then introduced Judy Randall, Deputy Legislative Auditor for the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s (OLA’s) Program Evaluation Division. 

Ms. Randall gave the subcommittee members the results of the legislative survey, saying that OLA had received responses from 82 legislators. Ms. Randall said that four topics had received the most votes from legislators. They were:

1. MDE’s Role in Addressing the Achievement Gap
2. Medical Emergency Ambulance Services
3. Unemployment Insurance Fraud
4. Commerce Department’s Oversight of Insurance Fraud

Ms. Randall then reviewed the Program Evaluation Division’s ranking (from most to least promising) of the ten topics that had been on the legislative survey. Ms. Randall explained that staff had focused especially on the feasibility of conducting the proposed evaluations.

Chair Kiffmeyer opened the meeting for member discussion. Representative Erickson moved that the four topics that had received the most votes [listed above] be selected for recommendation to the Legislative Audit Commission.

Chair Kiffmeyer requested further discussion and noted that OLA staff had ranked as one of the most promising topics the “Petroleum Remediation Program.” She suggested that it could be the fifth topic selected. After further discussion, members agreed upon the “Petroleum Remediation Program” as the fifth topic.

Representative Hansen amended Representative Erickson’s motion to add the “Petroleum Remediation Program” to the four topics already agreed upon. Ms. Randall read the titles of the five selected topics. Representative Erickson then modified her motion to read as the titles given by Ms. Randall for the final five topics to be selected by the Evaluation Subcommittee. They were:

1. MDE’s Role in Addressing the Achievement Gap
2. Medical Emergency Ambulance Services
3. Unemployment Insurance Fraud
4. Commerce Department’s Oversight of Insurance Fraud
5. Petroleum Remediation Program

With no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Chair Kiffmeyer adjourned the meeting at 8:13 a.m.

Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, Chair
Evaluation Subcommittee

Maureen Garrahy, Recording Secretary