Minnesota Veterans Day on the Hill kicked off the week at the Capitol. There were also seven bills related to Veterans that were heard in legislative committees.

About a thousand Veterans from throughout the state came to St. Paul on Monday to hold a rally in the Capitol Rotunda and meet with legislators. Veterans Day on the Hill is organized each year by the Commanders' Task Force, Minnesota Association of County Veterans Service Officers (MACVSO) and the United Veterans Legislative Council (UVLC).

Also on Monday, the House Veterans Affairs Division held its weekly meeting. In addition to hearing bills there were presentations from UVLC and the American Legion about the 100th Anniversary that will be celebrated in Minneapolis this summer.

The following bills were heard throughout the week-
HF 3009 and SF 2653 are companion bills authored by Rep. John Poston and Sen. Karin Housley. This legislation would provide funding to the Centers for Independent Living so that they can hire employees to target services for Veterans. Both bills were approved by the respective Veterans committees that heard the bill in each chamber. HF 3009 was re-referred to the Job Growth and Energy Affordability committee. SF 2653 was re-referred to the Jobs and Economic Growth committee.

HF 3429 and SF 3261 are also companion bills, this time authored by Rep. Bob Dettmer and Sen. Bruce Anderson. This legislation makes two key changes to the disabled Veterans homestead exclusion for surviving spouses. First, the eight-year limit for surviving spouses would be eliminated. Second, the bill would allow the surviving spouse to transfer the exclusion to a property of equal or lesser value. Both bills were approved by the respective Veterans committees and were re-referred to each chamber's tax committee.

HF 3477 is authored by Rep. Matt Bliss and was heard in the Veterans Affairs Division. It would allow a city or county to declare itself a "Purple Heart City" or "Purple Heart County" to honor and support Purple Heart recipients. Other benefits include a designated parking space at city hall or county government center. It allows a city or county to accept donations for signs and allows a city or county to designate Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day. The bill was approved and re-referred to the Government Operations and Elections committee.

HF 3507 is authored by Rep. Dale Lueck was given a hearing in the Veterans Affairs Division. It would add Veteran status to the list of collected data that is used by the Secretary of State for state agency appointments. The bill was approved and sent to the House floor.

HF 1318 is authored by Rep. John Poston and was heard in State Government Finance. It would establish Veterans preference in hiring procedures for competitive job openings at the legislature and state courts. This is already established in state agencies as well as local governments throughout Minnesota. The bill was approved and re-referred to Public Safety and Security.