Attorney General Ellison's fraud fighting legislation passes Senate State and Local Government Committee
April 9, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — This afternoon, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Representative Matt Norris, and Senator Ann Johnson Stewart’s legislation to combat Medicaid fraud passed the Minnesota Senate State and Local Government Committee. The legislation, known as the Medical Assistance Protection Act or MAP Act, will expand Attorney General Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), give them new investigative authority, and strengthen state Medicaid fraud laws to make it easier to prosecute those who steal from Medicaid.
Following the bill’s passage, it was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. On March 24, the MAP Act was heard in and passed out of the House Public Safety Committee, on March 10, the bill was heard in and passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, and on February 26, the bill was heard in and passed out of the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee.
The MAP Act will improve Attorney General Ellison’s ability to investigate and prosecute fraudsters by:
- Adding 18 new staff members to the Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to account for an almost tripling of the numbers of fraud referrals the MFCU has received. The bill will increase the MFCU’s staff from 32 to 50 people, bringing Minnesota more in line with similar-sized states. The increase is based on a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
- With those funds, the MFCU would add 11 investigators, 3 attorneys, and 4 support staff to the unit.
- For every dollar that Minnesota puts into its MFCU, the federal governments chips in three more. That 3 to 1 match makes Attorney General Ellison’s MFCU one of the best investments Minnesota can make in holding Medicaid fraudsters accountable.
- Strengthening state Medical Assistance fraud laws by:
- expanding fraud statutes to cover the breadth of fraud schemes investigators uncover;
- creates enhanced sentencing for high-dollar fraud cases in line with sentencing for theft against private individuals;
- adding Medical Assistance fraud to Minnesota's racketeering statute, making it easier to take down larger conspiracies;
- expanding the statute of limitations; and
- increasing the state’s ability to recover tax dollars lost to fraud.
- Giving the Attorney General’s Office direct authority to subpoena financial records during criminal Medical Assistance fraud investigations, for efficiency, as now the AGO can only access through a county attorney.
"I am committed to getting my bipartisan, fraud-fighting legislation across the finish line, and today’s successful hearing brings us one step closer to that” said Attorney General Ellison. “This bill puts more resources at the disposal of my office’s talented team of investigators and prosecutors who are working hard every day to hold Medicaid fraudsters accountable. My fraud fighting team regularly ranks as one of the best in the nation, and I will continue working with lawmakers from all parties to get that team the tools they need to go after fraudsters and to protect our tax dollars.”
Attorney General Ellison’s MFCU has secured over 300 convictions and won over $80 million in restitution and recoveries since he was first elected. Last year, Attorney General Ellison's MFCU ranked sixth in investigations per Medicaid expenditure, fifth in fraud charges, and eight in fraud convictions in the entire country. Further, Attorney General Ellison’s MFCU ranks fifth in fraud convictions in the entire country over the last six years on average.
Minnesota’s MFCU has achieved this long-running track record of success despite having a smaller staff than other, comparable states. Nationwide, MFCU staffing recommendations are based on the size of a state’s Medicaid budget. The present size of Minnesota’s MFCU, 32, was set when the state’s Medicaid budget was roughly $13 billion. Now that the Medicaid budget is roughly $20 billion, HHS OIG recommends Minnesota’s MFCU increase its staffing levels.
States with similar Medicaid budgets to Minnesota’s often have larger MFCUs, as illustrated below using data from HHS OIG‘s 2024 annual report:
| State | Medicaid Budge | MFCU Staff |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $22,354,412,784 | 92 |
| Washington | $21,318,488,278 | 57 |
| Arizona | $20,388,207,470 | 33 |
| Indiana | $20,020,602,077 | 59 |
| Minnesota | $19,328,609,948 | 32 |
