February 16, 2024
Representative Rick Hansen, Chair, called the Legislative Audit Commission meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. Chair Hansen said the meeting’s purpose was to hear the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s (OLA’s) presentation of the evaluation report, Department of Human Services Licensing Division: Support to Counties.
Chair Hansen welcomed Jodi Munson Rodríguez, Deputy Legislative Auditor for OLA’s Program Evaluation Division. Ms. Munson Rodríguez said that OLA had begun requesting topic suggestions from legislators and legislative staff for OLA to evaluate in 2024 and then gave a brief overview of the DHS evaluation. She introduced Sarah Delacueva, Evaluation Coordinator, to present the report’s key findings and recommendations.
Ms. Delacueva said the report focused on programs for which the Department of Human Services (DHS) has delegated licensing functions to county governments, which were family child care, child foster care, adult foster care, and community residential settings (CRS) and detailed the findings and recommendations for DHS and these licensing functions. She said that the previous legislative session established a new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), which will assume DHS’s responsibilities and licensing services related to family child care and child foster care. Overall, she said, DHS has made consistent efforts to engage county licensors.
Members asked if the recommendations rose to the level of requiring legislation. Ms. Delacueva and Ms. Munson Rodríguez replied in the negative, and noted that OLA follows up with agencies to see to what extent they have implemented recommendations. Members expressed interest in how to track the extent to which agencies have implemented OLA recommendations. Ms. Munson Rodríguez said there is a requirement in law that Minnesota Management and Budget track certain OLA recommendations and provide a report to the Legislature; OLA also plans to compile a database of recommendations and the extent to which agencies have implemented them.
Chair Hansen then welcomed DHS representatives Kulani Moti, Inspector General, and Alyssa Dotson, Deputy Inspector General of Licensing, to speak. Ms. Moti said that DHS is improving their communications and consistency with their work across Minnesota’s counties, and that the report’s recommendations align with their plans for improvement. She added that DHS is hiring and training new licensing staff, as DHS had requested and received the resources needed to do so during the 2023 legislative session.
Members expressed a concern about inconsistent guidelines given to county licensors, and mentioned the importance of having all communications managed so they are concise, legal, and understandable.
With no further discussion, Chair Hansen adjourned the meeting at 9:59 a.m.
Representative Rick Hansen, Chair
Maureen Garrahy, Recording Secretary
