The Minnesota Legislature began its second month of work as the calendar turned to February. The House of Representatives and the Senate will continue working until session ends on May 17.

On Wednesday, the House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs committee heard HF 88. This bill is authored by Rep. Todd Lippert of Northfield. If passed into law, it would put into statute the authority for the commissioner of Veterans Affairs to have adult day care services on campuses of Minnesota Veterans Homes. Currently, only the Minneapolis home has this service. The committee approved the bill and sent it to the House floor where it will await a vote by the full chamber.

MDVA also provided an overview of the governor’s budget recommendations for the agency. There are four key components to the budget recommendations.

• Funding for Veterans suicide prevention
• Funding to enhance MDVA’s response to ending Veterans homelessness
• An operating adjustment to allow MDVA to deliver on its mission and vision to Minnesotans who have served our country, while also providing high quality healthcare in the five Veterans homes.
• Money for the 9/11 and Global War on Terror Task Force. Funds would be used to publish a definitive history of America’s longest war, develop a traveling exhibition to share stories around the state and host a remembrance of 9/11 this September.

Next week, the House committee will hear three bills supported by MDVA on Wednesday afternoon.

The Senate Veterans and Military Affairs committee met on Thursday and heard three bills. Two of those bills were authored by Sen. Steve Cwodzinski of Eden Prairie. SF 363 establishes the Veterans stable housing initiative, classifies homeless Veterans data, and authorizes data sharing between members of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness. It was recommended to pass by the committee and re-referred to Civil Law and Data Practices. SF364 authorizes MDVA to use funds for publicity representatives. Ben Johnson testified on behalf of the agency. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus budget bill.

The committee will meet again next week on Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m.