1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to crime; expanding the welfare fraud law to 
  1.3             include the failure to report a material change in 
  1.4             circumstances while continuing to receive assistance 
  1.5             greater than lawfully allowed; prescribing penalties; 
  1.6             amending Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  1.7             256.98, subdivision 1. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  1.10  256.98, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [WRONGFULLY OBTAINING ASSISTANCE.] A person 
  1.12  who commits any of the following acts or omissions is guilty of 
  1.13  theft and shall be sentenced pursuant to section 609.52, 
  1.14  subdivision 3, clauses (2), (3)(a) and (c), (4), and (5): 
  1.15     (1) obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any 
  1.16  person to obtain by means of a willfully false statement or 
  1.17  representation, by intentional concealment of a material fact, 
  1.18  or by impersonation or other fraudulent device, assistance to 
  1.19  which the person is not entitled or assistance greater than that 
  1.20  to which the person is entitled, or who; 
  1.21     (2) knowingly aids or abets in buying or in any way 
  1.22  disposing of the property of a recipient or applicant of 
  1.23  assistance without the consent of the county agency with intent 
  1.24  to defeat the purposes of sections 256.12, 256.031 to 256.0361, 
  1.25  256.72 to 256.871, and chapter 256B, or all of these sections is 
  1.26  guilty of theft and shall be sentenced pursuant to section 
  2.1   609.52, subdivision 3, clauses (2), (3)(a) and (c), (4), and 
  2.2   (5); or 
  2.3      (3) fails to report a change or anticipated change in 
  2.4   circumstances as required by Minnesota Rules, part 9500.2700, 
  2.5   subpart 7, and continues to receive assistance to which the 
  2.6   person is not entitled or assistance greater than that to which 
  2.7   the person is entitled. 
  2.8      Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.9      Section 1 is effective August 1, 1996, and applies to 
  2.10  crimes committed on or after that date.