The Minnesota House passed one of two bills that were up for votes on the House floor Monday afternoon aimed at waste and fraud in government spending.

A bill to strengthen a “whistleblower” law passed with bipartisan support. A bill that would have strengthened fraud reporting requirements did not get the 68 votes needed to pass.

“I’ve spoken to several DFL colleagues who said they want to vote for this bill, and I’m hoping their leadership does not take them off the board,” said Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia), before the vote on his fraud reporting bill.

Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove) said her whistleblower bill will make it easier for state employees and others to come forward.

“People are very afraid to point out what they see as real problems in some of the agencies, and they want protection,” Rep. Robbins said on Monday.

Meanwhile, in other legislation, a bill aimed at delaying the start of the state’s paid family and medical leave program was tabled. If it were to pass, it would delay the program implementation from 2026 to 2027.

Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL-St. Paul) said, “Minnesotans and their families have been waiting for years for the benefits of paid family and medical leave. Waiting another year is not an option.”

Also at the Capitol Monday, five years after the start of the pandemic in 2020, the state’s hospitality industry says it’s still not back to pre-pandemic levels and wants legislative help.

Angie Whitcomb with Hospitality Minnesota said, “We believe there are things that legislators and policymakers can do to reduce the financial burden of unfunded mandates and harmful regulations.

Those talks will have to wait until the situation in the House is settled.

We’ll find out after a special election on Tuesday to determine if the House is going back to a 67-67 tie.

Editor’s Note: This article previously said the paid family and medical leave program bill failed to pass. It has since been corrected to say it was tabled during Monday’s House session.