https://mn.gov/ en-us https://mn.gov/ https://mn.gov/ 2026-05-18T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-749158 The legislature completed its session for 2026 on Monday, May 18. As laid out in the last update, the Senate combined language from five Veterans bills into HF 3522, making it the Veterans and Military Affairs Omnibus bill for 2026. This marks the fifth consecutive year with a Veterans omnibus bill, starting in 2022. 2026-05-11T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-746697 There was a significant amount of movement on the floors of the House of Representatives and Senate last week as the legislature looks to wrap up Veterans-related bills ahead of the May 18 adjournment date. To start the week, the House took up five Veterans bills on Monday, May 4. They were all passed unanimously and sent to the Senate. 2026-05-04T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-745494 With only weeks remaining for this year’s legislative session, the work is winding down. Only one Veterans-related bill was heard in a committee last week. Rep. Bjorn Olson’s HF 3532 was heard in the House Ways and Means committee. This bill would allow National Guard members who don’t qualify as a Veteran the chance to be buried in a State Veterans Cemetery. The committee approved the bill and sent it to the House floor. 2026-04-27T13:13:28Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-744125 Last week as hundreds of Veterans and their closest supporters rallied at the Capitol for Veterans Day on the Hill, two bills were signed into law, another passed the Senate and one more reached the Governor’s desk. The two Veterans bills signed into law by Governor Walz make important updates to Veterans Higher Education-related sections of law in state statute. The other is MDVA’s Housekeeping and Federal conformity bill. It reclassifies the agency Chief of Staff position as the Deputy Commissioner for Administration, aligns federal forfeited benefits with state benefits and repeals outdated statutes. 2026-04-20T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-742315 Three Veterans-related bills are headed to Governor Walz’s desk after unanimous passage in the Minnesota House and Senate. All three are MDVA initiatives. The first bill passed by both bodies was HF 3741 authored by Rep. Josiah Hill and Sen. Judy Seeberger. This bill seeks to make important updates to Veterans Higher Education-related sections of law in state statute. The House passed the bill 134-0 on March 23 and it passed the Senate 66-0 on Tuesday, April 14. 2026-04-13T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-740237 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. 2026-03-30T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-736505 The first Veterans-related bill cleared a vote of a full legislative chamber while a few others were heard in committees last week ahead of the legislature’s first round of deadlines. On Monday, March 23, the Minnesota House took up HF 3741 authored by Rep. Josiah Hill for a vote on the floor. This bill seeks to make important updates to Veterans Higher Education-related sections of law in Chapter 197. It passed unanimously 134-0. The companion bill in the Senate is awaiting a floor vote. 2026-03-23T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-734630 Both Veterans committees did not meet last week, so there were significantly fewer Veterans-related bills heard at the legislature compared to 15 during the previous week. The first bill was heard on Wednesday, March 18 in the Senate Education Policy committee. SF 3603 would establish statewide criterion to provide high school diplomas to Veterans from the Korean War and Vietnam War eras if they enlisted prior to completing their education. Sen. Jordan Rasmusson from Fergus Falls presented his bill with testimony from MDVA. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to the Agriculture and Veterans committee. 2026-03-16T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-731909 There were 15 Veterans bills heard this last throughout six legislative committees, with the first and second deadlines less than two weeks away. The first bill was heard on Monday, March 9 in the House Transportation committee. Rep. Ethan Cha presented HF 3919 which continues the work of last session’s bill that extended limited benefits to Veterans of the Secret War in Laos. This bill establishes an eligibility application process and makes recommended changes from the Veterans of Special Guerrilla Units and Irregular Forces in Laos Task Force. 2026-03-09T13:00:00Z https://mn.gov/mdva/news/legislative-updates/index.jsp?id=1066-729633 Both Veterans committees in the Senate and House met this past week as work ramps up this session. On Wednesday morning, March 3, the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division heard a presentation from Meals on Wheels relating to their Veteran-specific efforts as well as three bills.