As another legislation session comes to a close, several new measures to honor our Veterans have been achieved. On July 16, Governor Dayton invited the public to a ceremonial signing of a new bill passed in the last session to fund construction of a Hmong-Lao Veterans Memorial in the Capitol Area. The memorial will honor all Hmong-Lao Veterans of the war in Laos who were allied with the American forces during the Vietnam War. State leaders designed $450,000 to complete the design and construction of the new memorial. This appropriation is only available after at least $90,000 has been committed to the project from non-state sources.

In addition, the bill also approved the creation of a new license plate designed specifically for women Veterans. For several years the state has recognized Veterans' service to our country through a variety of specialty license plates. Minnesota will continue this tradition through these new plates honoring the service of all women Veterans. The plates are currently in the design process and scheduled to be available for purchase starting January 1, 2015. The plates will cost $10, similar to other specialty license plates. Once available, the plates can be found at The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's website.