Subcommittee weighs DHS services, feedlot permitting, cannabis office and statewide school health plan for future evaluations

Staff and legislators spent much of the May 8 meeting reviewing candidate topics and timing constraints. Deputy Legislative Auditor Munson Rodriguez walked through a set of background papers and characterized several items as promising with timing caveats.

Munson Rodriguez said DHS county-services approvals should be narrowed to a particular program to be feasible. On MPCA feedlot permitting — not reviewed since 1999 — staff recommended sampling sites and told members it could be done if the scope is narrowed. Representative Hinson urged evaluators to look at effectiveness and outcomes, saying, “Is it working? You know, is it effective rather than how quickly things are done.” Munson Rodriguez answered that monitoring and attrition questions could be added to revised evaluation questions.

Members and staff also discussed the Office of Cannabis Management; staff suggested waiting until fall to allow more market and licensing data to accumulate. The idea of an actuarial study of a statewide school employee health plan was raised; staff proposed adding it to the fall list and locating any prior actuarial work as a starting point.

Throughout the discussion staff repeatedly cautioned about division workload: several licensing-related topics overlap within one evaluation division, so the office recommended staggering start dates and narrowing scopes. Staff agreed to update background materials with suggested program examples and timing recommendations for the full legislature’s survey.