作者：安德鲁·马克·米勒
来源：福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年3月13日 美国东部时间上午6:00
明尼苏达州欺诈委员会主席在瓦尔兹政府机构听证会缺席后发声
明尼苏达州亨内平县州议员克里斯汀·罗宾斯向福克斯新闻数字版谈及该州持续应对欺诈危机的努力，以及一个关键州机构缺席重要听证会的事实。
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随着明尼苏达州欺诈丑闻持续成为头条，州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹签署的一项标志性立法（延长明尼苏达州工人带薪休假时长）已引发重大担忧。批评者担心，这一法案可能导致更多资金被滥用，引发头疼问题。
该立法于1月1日生效，允许明尼苏达州工人每年最多可休12周带薪假，用于照顾新生儿或生病的家人，或因自身重病恢复，最长12周。若同时使用两种情况，年度福利上限为20周。
法案实施两个月后，已开始遭遇反对声音，其中包括该州最大的无党派商业倡导组织。
明尼苏达州商会的劳林·肖特霍斯特告诉福克斯9台（Minneapolis）：“除了反欺诈情绪，雇主们还报告了一些令人担忧的趋势。”
“患者向医疗服务提供者施压，要求获得全部12周假期，即使病情并不需要。一些受访者表示，其员工带薪休假收入超过了法律规定的工资替代阈值。员工在所谓休假期间外出度假或参加音乐节。这些轶事不一定揭示欺诈行为或部门监督缺失，但凸显了法律中广泛的资格条件和有限的雇主申诉机制问题。对雇主而言，过度使用即滥用。”
两名向福克斯新闻数字版发声的共和党议员同意这一评估。
州参议员迈克尔·霍尔姆斯特伦表示：“商会的观点正确。明尼苏达州并非商业友好型州。雇主本已提供此类福利，而州政府却干预雇主与员工之间的关系，这是其无权为之的行为。”
霍尔姆斯特伦称，他所在选区的一家大型雇主自法律生效后，带薪休假使用量激增700%，且公司无法招募到熟练工人填补空缺岗位。
他解释说，结果是企业在无替代人员的情况下维持运营，服务质量下降。
州参议员马克·科兰也同意商会的观点，并指出欺诈担忧合理，“由于州政府将雇主排除在项目监督和管理之外，将不存在真正的执法。”
科兰表示：“该项目未按预期使用，这正是共和党人所预测的。法案原本被宣传为短期和长期休假替代方案，现在却变成了一个复杂的病假项目，生效日期从第一天开始，而非传统的伤病第七天。”
“宽松的使用指南意味着员工可以每周休假一天，或每周一和周五连续度周末。这对雇主寻找替代劳动力的能力造成巨大负面影响，使明尼苏达州在商业竞争力中垫底。”
科兰最终表示，该法律将导致岗位减少、薪资降低、福利缩水，并“持续导致企业创建和扩张逃离明尼苏达州”。
社交媒体上，批评者也表达了类似观点，有人指出明尼苏达州大多数企业已提供带薪休假，州政府干预实属多余。
前明尼苏达州共和党州长蒂姆· Pawlenty的发言人布莱恩·麦克伦在X平台发文：“不可能！我感到震惊——如果有人警告过明尼苏达州民主党三党执政联盟，创建一个昂贵、繁琐、官僚化的系统可能会出问题（因为绝大多数企业本已在无强制要求下提供带薪休假）。”
福克斯新闻数字版联系了瓦尔兹办公室寻求置评。
新的州带薪休假项目由名为明尼苏达州就业与经济发展部的新政府机构执行，该机构拥有400多名全职员工负责监督流程，这让一些人感到不安——此前该州多个机构曾监督大规模欺诈丑闻。
今年早些时候，在法案即将生效时，福克斯新闻数字版曾报道担忧该法案可能为更多欺诈打开大门。美国实验中心政策研究员比尔·格拉恩当时称该立法是“下一个数十亿美元级欺诈”。
《城镇厅》专栏作家、明尼苏达州居民达斯汀·格雷奇在1月向福克斯新闻数字版表示：“当你建立一个数十亿美元的州福利项目却缺乏有效监督时，欺诈者便会趋之若鹜。我们已经看到明尼苏达州的情况，带薪家庭假系统将成为滥用的温床。”
明尼苏达州就业与经济发展部发言人在给福克斯新闻数字版的声明中为该项目辩护：
“明尼苏达州并非首个制定州级带薪家庭和医疗假项目的州——我们是13个州（外加哥伦比亚特区）之一。美国是个例外——全球仅有7个国家缺乏全国性带薪家庭和医疗假项目。美国劳工统计局2023年数据显示，73%的美国平民工人无法享受带薪家庭假。”
“我们认识到带薪休假对明尼苏达州雇主而言是重大变革，因此与全州雇主及众多雇主倡导团体密切合作，开发工具和材料以尽可能简化休假管理流程。我们收到了许多雇主的积极反馈，并且正在持续优化服务。”
“该部门高度重视项目完整性。尽管明尼苏达州商会未分享其调查的基础数据，但多年来一直向明尼苏达州立法机构反对带薪家庭和医疗假项目。尽管存在反对声音，商会仍是帮助雇主了解带薪休假的良好合作伙伴。”
安德鲁·马克·米勒是福克斯新闻记者。可在Twitter上关注他：@andymarkmiller，或发邮件至AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com提供线索。
Two GOP Minnesota lawmakers told Fox News Digital the law is hurting employers
By Andrew Mark Miller
Fox News
Published March 13, 2026 6:00am EDT
Minnesota fraud committee chairwoman sounds off after Walz agency no-shows at hearing
Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins of Hennepin County speaks to Fox News Digital about its ongoing effort to combat the states fraud crisis, and the fact a key state agency skipped an important hearing.
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As Minnesota’s fraud scandal continues to make headlines, signature legislation signed by Gov. Tim Walz extending the amount of paid leave available to Minnesota workers is already causing major headaches and concerns from critics worried about potential abuse of even more dollars.
The legislation, which took effect on January 1, allows Minnesota workers up to 12 weeks a year off with partial pay to care for a newborn or a sick family member, and up to 12 weeks to recover from their own serious illness. Benefits are capped at 20 weeks a year for employees who take advantage of both.
Two months in, the legislation is already receiving pushback, including from the state’s largest, non-partisan business advocacy organization.
“Beyond just anti-fraud sentiments, employers are reporting a few concerning trends,” Lauryn Schothorst from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce told Fox 9 Minneapolis.
TAFOYA RIPS WALZ ‘DODGING’ ACCOUNTABILITY IN HEARING, UNVEILS PLAN TO FIGHT FRAUD: ‘FULL WEIGHT OF THE LAW’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Providers are being pressured by patients for the full 12 weeks of leave, even if their condition does not require it. A number of respondents have shared that their employees are making more on paid leave than the wage replacement thresholds in law. Employees are going on vacation or to music festivals while supposedly on leave. These anecdotes don’t necessarily reveal fraud or a lack of oversight by the department. They highlight concerns with the broad eligibility and limited employer recourse elements of the law. To employers, overuse is abuse.”
Two Republican lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital agreed with that assessment.
“The chamber is right,” State Sen. Michael Holmstrom said. “Minnesota is not a business-friendly state. Employers were already offering this benefit and then the state got in between employers and their employees, which it has no business doing.”
Holmstrom says a major employer in his district has seen a 700% increase in paid leave usage since the law took effect and the company is unable to backfill those positions with skilled workers to compensate.
The result, Holmstrom explained, is carrying on with business as usual without replacements and providing a lower level of service.
State Sen. Mark Koran told Fox News Digital he also agreed with the chamber and suggested fraud concerns are valid, saying there will be “no real enforcement” because the “state removed the employer from the oversight and administration of the program.”
GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS WALZ ACT AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Minnesota Republican lawmakers reveal who the main ‘culprits’ are in fraud scandal
Koran explained: “The program isn’t being used as intended, which Republicans predicted. It was sold as a replacement for short and long-term leave replacement. Now it’s a complex sick leave program with the effective date on day one, not the traditional seventh day of injury or illness.”
“The liberal use guidelines mean employees can take a day off every week, or every Monday and Friday for a long weekend. It’s a huge negative impact on employers’ ability to find substitute labor and puts Minnesota in the bottom tier of business competitiveness.”
Ultimately, Koran says the law will result in fewer jobs, lower pay, decreased benefits and a “continued exodus of business creation and expansion out of Minnesota.”
On social media, critics have echoed similar sentiments, with some pointing out that most businesses in Minnesota already offered paid leave, making state interference unnecessary.
“No way,” Brian McClung, former spokesperson for former Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, posted on X. “I am shocked – shocked! If only someone had warned the MN Democrat trifecta that creating an expensive, cumbersome, bureaucratic system might go badly (when the vast majority of businesses already offered paid leave without a mandate).”
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.
The new state paid leave program is being enforced by a new government agency called the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development with more than 400 full-time employees overseeing the process, causing uneasiness from some given the multiple state agency bureaucracies that oversaw the massive fraud scandal.
Earlier this year, when the law was about to take effect, Fox News Digital reported on concerns that the bill could open the door up for even more fraud, with Bill Glahn, a policy fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, describing the legislation at the time as the “next billion-dollar fraud.”
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. January 5, 2026.(Reuters/Tim Evans)
“When you build a multibillion-dollar state benefit program with weak oversight, fraudsters line up,” Townhall columnist and Minnesota resident Dustin Grage, told Fox News Digital in January. “We’ve already seen what happens in Minnesota. The paid family leave system will be a magnet for abuse.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development defended the program.
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“Minnesota is not unique in enacting a state paid family and medical leave program – we are one of 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, that have done so. The United States is an outlier – it’s one of only seven countries worldwide that lacks a national paid family and medical leave program. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics noted in 2023 that 73% of American civilian workers lack access to paid family leave,” the statement said.
“We recognize that Paid Leave is a big change for Minnesota employers. That’s why we’ve worked closely with employers around the state, plus many employer advocacy groups, to develop tools and materials to make administering Paid Leave as smooth as possible. We have received positive feedback from many employers, and we are consistently improving service offerings.”
The spokesperson added that the department “takes program integrity seriously.”
“While the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce has not shared the underlying data from its survey, the Chamber has presented its objections to paid family and medical leave programs for years at the Minnesota Legislature. Despite these objections, the Chamber has been a good partner in helping educate employers about Paid Leave.”
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.