This Week

Veterans Affairs Division
The committee heard four bills related to Veterans:

• HF 1223 (Poston): This bill adjusts language regarding military and Veteran eligibility to receive permits to state parks and permits to hunt and fish without fees. Provides eligible service members and Veterans with free annual park permits. Eliminates fee and license requirements for certain active military personnel, recently discharged Veterans, and disabled Veterans for various types of hunting and fishing. Peter Hark from the DNR testified on this bill. It was approved and re-referred to Government Operations. 
• HF 1318 (Poston): This bill would establish Veterans Preference in hiring practices at the legislature and state courts. Basically, it would extend the practice adopted by state agencies to the rest of state government. It was approved and re-referred to State Government Finance. 
• HF 1597 (Howe): This legislation would prohibit burial fees for spouses and dependents of eligible Veterans at State Veterans Cemeteries. MDVA spoke in opposition to the bill because it would create uncertainty in finances. The author said that he would have an amendment in the next committee that could alleviate those concerns. There was questioning about practices about waiving the burial fee for certain cases. The bill was passed and re-referred to State Government Finance.
• HFs 1438 and 1526 (Bliss): These bills were heard simultaneously because they are identical. They seek to fund money for the Veterans Journey Home program which would support affordable housing dedicated to low-to-moderate income Veterans and their families. Both bills were passed and re-referred to State Government Finance.

The House Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division heard HF 910 authored by Rep. Hilstrom. This bill would extend and increase the credit for the homestead exclusion. It would allow Veterans that have a temporary 100% service connected disability to qualify for the maximum benefit, instead of just total and permanent disabled Veterans. It also increases the maximum benefit to $400,000. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the tax bill.

The Senate Local Government Committee heard Sen. Dahms' HF 375. This bill would allow counties to build Veterans memorials in any part of the county. Current law says that memorials must be built in the county seat. The bill was approved and now awaits a vote on the Senate floor.

The Senate Taxes committee heard SFs 71, 84 and 205. They are bills that all deal with the homestead market exclusion. They were all passed and re-referred to the Tax Committee. SF205 authored by Sen. Chuck Wiger eliminates the eight-year limit on the spouse of a diseased Veteran use of the exclusion until the spouse sells, transfers or disposes of the property. Sen. Andrew Lang is the author SF84 ends that same limit and it also makes the exclusion available to surviving spouses who meet certain conditions. Finally, SF71 authored by Sen. Greg Clausen establishes a sliding-scale formula so the amount of the exclusion that a disabled Veteran can take is $300,000 times the Veteran's disability rating percentage. For instance, a Veteran with an 80% service connected disability would receive $240,000. The bills were all laid over for possible inclusion in the Senate tax bill.

Veterans and Military Affairs

The committee heard five bills of interest to Veterans on Thursday:

• SF 76 (Clausen): This bill would increase the income level at which the credit begins to phase-out from $30,000 to $50,000, with no credit allowed for incomes of $57,500 or higher. It would also expand eligibility by extending the credit to all disabled veterans who have a compensable service connected disability. This is a part of the Governor’s Tax bill recommendations. It was passed and re-referred to Taxes.
• SF 1209 (B. Anderson): The bill requires businesses to disclose to Veterans that they may be able to receive the same services at no-charge from Veterans Service Organizations. It would also create a $1,000 fine for violators of the law. The bill was passed and re-referred to Judiciary and Public Safety.
• SF 1130 (Newton): The bill would establish Veterans Preference in hiring practices at the legislature and state courts. It was passed and re-referred to State Government Finance.
• SF 568 (Nelson): The bill provides a class rate reduction from 1.5% to 1.0% for property of non-profit community service organizations that are owned or operated by congressionally chartered Veterans’ organizations. The commissioner of Veterans Affairs must provide a list of congressionally chartered Veterans organizations. The decreased rate will be effective for taxes assessed in 2017 and payable in 2018. The bill was approved and re-referred to Taxes.
• SF 1541 (Schoen): This bill increases the tax credit for past military service from $750 to $1,000 and increases the income level at which the tax credit begins to phase out from $30,000 to $50,000. The bill was passed and re-referred to Taxes.

Next week

The House Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division will hear two Veterans bills. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 6 at 10 a.m. in the Basement Hearing Room of the State Office Building:

• HF 1059 (Howe): Disabled Veterans homestead exclusion annual application requirement eliminated.
• HF 1096 (Maye Quade): Spousal benefit under the disabled Veterans homestead exclusion extended to surviving spouses of Veterans with a 70 percent disability rating or higher, and eight year limitation on the spousal benefit eliminated

The House Veterans Affairs Division will meet on Monday, March 6 at 1 p.m. in Room 5 of the State Office Building and will hear six bills:

• HF1348 (Maye Quade): Past military service credit expanded.
• HF1563 (Rosenthal): Equine Innovations grant provided for its Veteran horsepower program to provide equine therapy to Veterans suffering from trauma and PTSD, and money appropriated.
• HF 1682 (Bliss): Veterans' Voice radio programming funding provided, and money appropriated.
• HF 1799 (Rosenthal): Past military service credit modified.
• HF 1892 (Howe): Military member clarified, and Veterans added to offense of impersonation.
• HF 1893 (Howe): Military pay and military retirement pay subtractions extended to military technicians.

Also on Monday at 1 p.m., the House Legacy Finance Committee will meet in Room 10 of the State Office Building and will hear two Veterans related bills:

• HF 232 (Dettmer): Veterans Rest Camp and Camp Legionville facility improvement funding provided, and money appropriated.
• HF 647: Vietnam: Minnesota Remembers project public television funding provided, and money appropriated.

On Wednesday, the House State Government Finance Committee will hear four Veterans related bills. They meet in Room 10 of the State Office Building at 1 p.m.:

• HF 965 (Maye Quade): Capitol grounds plaque placement authorized in the court of honor to honor all Minnesota Veterans who served in the United States armed forces during World War I.
• HF 1438 (Bliss): Veterans Journey Home grant funding provided, and money appropriated.
• HF 1527 (Bliss): Support Our Troops account money use modified.
• HF 1563 (Rosenthal): Equine Innovations grant provided for its Veteran horsepower program to provide equine therapy to Veterans suffering from trauma and PTSD, and money appropriated.

More Veterans related legislation will likely to be added to committee agendas.

See the /mdva/news/legislative-updates/state-bill-tracker/index.jspstate bill tracker for more information regarding all of these bills.

NOTE: Next Friday, March 10th is the first committee deadline at the legislature. For more information regarding deadlines click here.