RACINE - Local officials are angry with Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, for criticizing them during Assembly debate on the state's child care subsidy program, Wisconsin Shares.

During the final week of the state Legislature's 2009 session, Mason took local officials, including Racine County Executive William McReynolds, to task from the Assembly floor. Mason said they "failed to take full responsibility for the child care fraud that's been going on in Racine."

One local official called Mason's criticism of the county inexplicable.

Democrats in the Assembly rejected several amendments introduced Thursday by Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, during debate aimed at cleaning up fraud in the Wisconsin Shares program.

Among other things, Vos suggested making $2.5 million available to counties for fraud detection.

In a joint release several county officials, including Sheriff Robert Carlson and District Attorney Mike Nieskes, balked at what they called Mason's "diatribe" and his votes against Vos's recommendations.

"We expect our state legislators to advocate for Racine County, not to criticize it in front of people from around the state," Racine County Board Chairman Peter Hansen said. "Representative Mason has made serious charges and the county board is not ignoring them."

Among other things, Mason criticized the county for not successfully investigating fraud in the Wisconsin Shares program.

"Given that newspapers have done a better job than the county of uncovering fraud, I'm not willing to give a blank check over to a county that has clearly failed on 'Shares' fraud enforcement," Mason said. "You don't reward bad behavior and an inability to enforce 'Shares' fraud with a blank check."

Both houses of the state Legislature unanimously passed a bill intended to prevent fraud in the program by requiring county workers to report suspected fraud and requiring criminal background checks of providers every three months. Gov. Jim Doyle is expected to sign the package of reforms into law.

Mason said the bill passed this week is budget neutral to counties.

"If they do a competent job of fraud investigation they get to keep the money (recovered). If they earn it the fraud investigation will be adequately funded," Mason said.

Local leaders say lawmakers' efforts didn't go far enough to improve the program.

"Is it better than it had been? Yes. Is it enough? No. We still think there was more that could have been done to make the program better and help instill confidence in people about the program," said Geoff Greiveldinger, McReynolds' chief of staff. "We are very disappointed that so many of those amendments were not supported."

Hansen and others want Mason to appear before the county board to explain his votes and the criticisms he leveled at county officials and staff.

Mason on Friday stood behind his criticism, saying he hoped it would lead to some real action on the part of the county to improve fraud investigation.

"My responsibility, first and foremost, is to the people who elected me, not to the public officials who don't like my criticism."