Office of the Legislative Auditor
Coverage of Office of the Legislative Auditor in the Nexus archive.
- Nonprofit that awarded ‘incorrect’ promise grants can keep up to $7 million to run the program
The Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), a nonprofit administering Minnesota's $100 million Promise Act program, is under scrutiny for awarding grants to ineligible businesses. State officials are recovering over $27,000 in misallocated funds, while NDC retains up to $7 million to operate the program. Investigations and audits are ongoing following reports of flawed application reviews.
- At Issue: July 12 — Reactions to paid family leave numbers, voter registration audit
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development reported 75,000 workers used the state’s paid family leave program in its first six months, though some faced approval or payment issues. A voter registration audit found the system generally sound but noted some counties missed required steps, with Republican leaders highlighting concerns and Secretary of State Steve Simon asserting compliance.
- Minnesota voter registration review finds county record errors
A Minnesota voter registration review found counties processed 96% of new applications within legal time frames but struggled near elections and failed to update records for flagged disqualifying conditions like incarceration. Counties verified 99% of residency applications correctly but had errors in over a third of manually reviewed cases, prompting mixed reactions from state leaders.
- Minnesotans can feel confident in election system, audit says
A recent audit of Minnesota’s voter registration system found 99% accuracy in automated voter identity verification, with room for improvement in updating records for formerly incarcerated individuals. Secretary of State Steve Simon stated Minnesota’s election system is accurate, fair, and secure.
- Minnesota 'tried to cover up fraud allegations,' former state trooper alleges
A former Minnesota Department of Human Services investigator alleged that state officials attempted to suppress his 2017 investigation into childcare fraud by demanding he delete portions of a report. Jay Swanson testified that a senior official ordered him to redirect findings to DHS instead of the Office of the Legislative Auditor, leading to a confrontation where he was threatened with retaliation. The allegations coincided with an FBI raid on Minneapolis childcare facilities, including the Quality Learning Center linked to a 2017 fraud indictment.