Last week, the Minnesota Legislature returned from its Passover and Easter break. Veterans-related work solely occurred in the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans.

The subcommittee met on Wednesday, April 8 and heard four pieces of Veterans legislation.

SF 4172 authored by Sen. Jeff Howe was heard first. It expands eligibility at State Veterans Cemeteries for National Guard members who don’t meet the federal and state definitions of Veteran. It also allows for the establishment of a fee structure for those burials.

The next bill came from Chair Aric Putnam. SF 4026 establishes standards for competitive grants issued by MDVA.

Those two bills were amended into SF 4807 which sets a baseline pay for commissioned officers and enlisted members of the Minnesota National Guard. The bill will now serve as a Veterans and Military Affairs omnibus supplemental budget bill containing the provisions of those three bills.

SF 3603 from Sen. Jordan Rasmusson was the next bill heard. It would provide statewide guidelines for Veterans to receive their high school diploma if they joined the armed forces prior to completing high school. This would only apply to Veterans of the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War.

The final bill was also from Sen. Putnam. SF 4560 establishes the Commanders’ Task Force into state statute.

All bills were approved by the subcommittee and sent to the full Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development committee and will be considered on Monday, April 13.

The Minnesota House has scheduled two Veterans bills for floor votes on April 13. HF 3467 (Rehrauer) provides authority for MDVA to use non-monetary resources on initiatives with Veterans organizations. HF 3544 (Repinski) is the MDVA housekeeping and federal conformity bill.

Finally, the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division is expected to meet on Wednesday, April 15.