Fed up with fraudsters bilking government programs, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday created a new state fraud investigations unit via executive order and proposed legislative measures aimed at stopping the theft of public funds.

Gov. Tim Walz rolled out a proposal and signed an executive order to step up efforts to combat fraud in government programs. Some of it would require legislative action.

Gov. Tim Walz on Friday signed an executive order and proposed legislation to catch and stop the theft of public money from safety net programs — many intended to help children, low-income residents and the elderly — after numerous audits,

Along with the new unit, the governor announced a new legislative package to create better fraud detection and tighter controls, which critics say comes too late.