16A.055 COMMISSIONER'S DUTIES.
(a) The commissioner shall:
(1) receive and record all money paid into the state treasury and safely keep it until lawfully paid out;
(2) manage the state's financial affairs;
(3) keep the state's general account books according to generally accepted government accounting principles;
(4) keep expenditure and revenue accounts according to generally accepted government accounting principles;
(5) develop, provide instructions for, prescribe, and manage a state uniform accounting system; and
(6) provide to the state the expertise to ensure that all state funds are accounted for under generally accepted government accounting principles.
(b) In addition to the duties in paragraph (a), the commissioner has the powers and duties given to the commissioner in chapter 43A.
The commissioner may assist state agencies by providing analytical, statistical, program evaluation using experimental or quasi-experimental design, and organizational development services to state agencies in order to assist the agency to achieve the agency's mission and to operate efficiently and effectively. For purposes of this section, "experimental design" means a method of evaluating the impact of a service that uses random assignment to assign participants into groups that respectively receive the studied service and those that receive service as usual, so that any difference in outcomes found at the end of the evaluation can be attributed to the studied service; and "quasi-experimental design" means a method of evaluating the impact of a service that uses strategies other than random assignment to establish statistically similar groups that respectively receive the service and those that receive service as usual, so that any difference in outcomes found at the end of the evaluation can be attributed to the studied service.
(a) The commissioner must, in consultation with the commissioners of health, human services, and children, youth, and families, develop an ongoing consultation schedule to create, review, and revise, as necessary, performance measures, data collection, and program evaluation plans for all state-funded grants administered by the commissioners of health, human services, and children, youth, and families that distribute at least $1,000,000 annually.
(b) Following the development of the ongoing consultation schedule under paragraph (a), the commissioner and the commissioner of the administering agency must conduct a grant program consultation in accordance with the ongoing consultation schedule. Each grant program consultation must include a review of performance measures, data collection, program evaluation plans, and reporting for each grant program. Following each consultation, the commissioner and the commissioner of the administering agency may revise evaluation metrics of a grant program. The commissioner may provide continuing support to the grant program in accordance with subdivision 1a.
An agency must use the uniform accounting system prescribed by the commissioner.
An agency must give the commissioner or a designee of the commissioner free access to its financial documents.
The commissioner may assign a designee to an agency to monitor its financial activities and to ensure compliance with statutes and administrative requirements promulgated by the commissioner. The designee may assist the agency as the commissioner considers appropriate. The agency's head shall supervise its employees and develop a budget consistent with its goals, responsibilities, and priorities.
The commissioner may not require a public retirement fund to use financial or actuarial reporting practices or procedures different from those required by section 356.20 or 356.215.
It is part of the department's mission that within the department's resources the commissioner shall endeavor to:
(1) prevent the waste or unnecessary spending of public money;
(2) use innovative fiscal and human resource practices to manage the state's resources and operate the department as efficiently as possible;
(3) coordinate the department's activities wherever appropriate with the activities of other governmental agencies;
(4) use technology where appropriate to increase agency productivity, improve customer service, increase public access to information about government, and increase public participation in the business of government;
(5) utilize constructive and cooperative labor-management practices to the extent otherwise required by chapters 43A and 179A;
(6) report to the legislature on the performance of agency operations and the accomplishment of agency goals in the agency's biennial budget according to section 16A.10, subdivision 1; and
(7) recommend to the legislature appropriate changes in law necessary to carry out the mission and improve the performance of the department.
The commissioner may apply for and receive grants from any source for the purpose of fulfilling any of the duties of the department. All funds received under this subdivision are appropriated to the commissioner for the purposes for which the funds are received.