Counties show 'green screen' failures in Maxis as Senate considers IT modernization bill Senate File 4719 would fund a multi-year modernization of state human services IT. County trainers and commissioners demonstrated Maxis/METS problems—repeated manual data entry, duplicate fields and training burdens—and urged an integrated replacement with county roles on a steering committee. The bill was laid over and later referred to State Government.

Senate File 4719 aims to revolutionize Minnesota's outdated human services IT systems, tackling the inefficiencies of Maxis and METS that burden county workers and taxpayers alike.

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#MN #ITModernization #CitizenPortal #WorkforceEfficiency #PublicService #MinnesotaCounties

Taxes committee report recommends amendment, re-referral of emergency rental-assistance bill The Senate secretary read a Taxes Committee report recommending amendment and re-referral of Senate File 3596, a proposal to create a one-time emergency rental-assistance aid for counties and tribal governments; the Senate adopted committee reports and approved several motions to withdraw and re-refer other bills before recessing to the call of the president.

The Minnesota Senate is poised to reshape emergency rental assistance with a new bill, but crucial details remain under wraps—what's next for Senate File 3596?

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#MN #CivicAccountability #CitizenPortal #EmergencyRentalAssistance #LocalGovernment #MinnesotaCounties

Committee questions bill to require legislative approval for expensive DOC jail rules; item laid over Law enforcement and county officials urged oversight of rules that may impose costs on county jails, while the Department of Corrections warned the proposal would disrupt the Administrative Procedure Act’s uniform rulemaking process; the committee laid House File 2936 over for further work.

A new bill aims to give Minnesota counties a say in costly jail regulations, but could it disrupt the established rulemaking process?

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#MN #LegislativeOversight #CitizenPortal #UnfundedMandates #PublicSafety #MinnesotaCounties

Counties tell committee HR 1 will overwhelm local eligibility systems; urge IT modernization and short-term "bridging" support County officials warned the committee that HR 1's verification, renewal and reporting rules will sharply increase county workload, produce manual "workarounds" that raise error risk, and require immediate bridging supports plus long-term system modernization to avoid fiscal penalties and service disruptions.

County leaders warn that HR 1's new rules could overwhelm local eligibility systems, risking costly errors and service disruptions if urgent modernization isn't prioritized.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #SystemModernization #MinnesotaCounties #LocalGovernmentSupport

County leaders tell Senate that SNAP, Medicaid changes could push costs to property taxpayers County officials warned that HR 1’s SNAP and Medicaid rule changes, plus proposed error-rate penalties, could shift hundreds of millions in costs to counties and ultimately property taxpayers, and urged statutory hold-harmless protections and immediate IT modernization.

Minnesota county leaders are sounding the alarm that proposed changes to SNAP and Medicaid could lead to skyrocketing property taxes and slashed services for residents.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #HealthPolicy #SocialServices #TaxpayerImpact #MinnesotaCounties

MCIT tells McLeod County rising reinsurance, inflation and cyber risk are driving higher costs A Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust representative told McLeod County commissioners that rising reinsurance rates, higher property values and cyberattacks are the primary drivers of recent insurance cost increases, and highlighted a $500,000 cyber extortion sublimit and the county's favorable workers' compensation experience modification.

Rising reinsurance rates, soaring property values, and a spike in cyberattacks are pushing insurance costs to new heights for Minnesota counties.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #PublicSafety #CybersecurityRisks #MinnesotaCounties #InsuranceCosts

Minnesota Counties Address Federal SNAP Funding Cuts and Administrative Challenges County representatives discuss impacts of federal SNAP changes on local budgets and services.

Minnesota counties are bracing for a $30 million budget hit as federal cuts to SNAP threaten to strain local resources and raise property taxes.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #GovernmentAccountability #FoodSecurity #MinnesotaCounties #LocalBudgets

Senators rally support for STS program facing funding cuts in 20 counties Support grows for STS program amid state's funding reduction from 50% to 25%.

The Senate's recent session revealed alarming funding cuts to Minnesota's STS program, leaving counties to shoulder an unprecedented 75% of its costs.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #LocalGovernment #MinnesotaCounties #FundingChallenges #CommunityServices

Minnesota Counties urge lawmakers to reconsider budget cost shifts impacting local funding County representatives warn legislators about potential tax increases from proposed budget shifts.

Minnesota counties are sounding the alarm over proposed budget cuts that could lead to skyrocketing property tax increases—are lawmakers listening?

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#MN #CitizenPortal #BudgetCutsImpact #PropertyTaxIncreases #MinnesotaCounties #LocalGovernmentFunding

Counties required to conduct diversion studies for mental health treatment options Counties must analyze local systems to divert individuals from justice to treatment by 2027

Minnesota's new Senate Bill 1492 could revolutionize how we treat mental health and substance use disorders within the justice system, shifting focus from punishment to rehabilitation.

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#MN #CriminalJusticeDiversion #CitizenPortal #MentalHealthReform #MinnesotaCounties

Counties voice concerns over expanded mental health eligibility in proposed legislation Counties express worry about costs and staffing due to proposed mental health eligibility expansions.

Minnesota's proposed bill to redefine mental illness could expand eligibility for crucial services, but county officials are raising alarms about funding and staffing challenges.

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#MN #MentalHealthReform #MinnesotaCounties #ResourceAllocation #CivicAccountability

County leaders address unfunded mandates and budget disparities in Minnesota legislature County officials highlight budget challenges and unfunded mandates during Minnesota legislative hearings.

County leaders are sounding the alarm over severe funding disparities and the crushing weight of unfunded mandates threatening essential services in Minnesota.

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#MN #CitizenPortal #UnfundedMandates #CommunitySupport #LocalGovernmentFunding #MinnesotaCounties