House passes five military and veterans bills without any ‘no’ votes

The House overwhelmingly passed a slate of bills intended to improve the lives of military members, from better informing Minnesota’s National Guard about life insurance benefits to recognizing atomic veterans and Purple Heart recipients.

None of Wednesday’s five bills create new benefits or programs, but most are attempts to correct concerns over benefits and programs.

HF2869/SF2692*, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Howe (R-Rockville) and Sen. Andrew Lang (R-Olivia), would require the Minnesota National Guard adjutant general to make the state-sponsored life insurance program available to all Guard members and provide opportunities to educate them about the program. Howe said “the issue is” that of all the National Guard signees last year, “not a single of them had [life insurance] offered to ‘em.

“I did not take advantage of this program and ended up losing all my insurance,” he said.

The bill passed 120-0 and now goes to Gov. Mark Dayton’s desk.

A technical bill – HF3199, sponsored by Rep. John Poston (R-Lake Shore) – heads to the Senate where Sen. Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo) is the sponsor. The bill would make clarifications that the Minnesota Military Code should conform both “procedurally and substantively” to all acts and regulations of the country. It passed 120-0.

Poston and Sen. Andrew Mathews (R-Milaca) sponsors HF2276/SF1703*, which would formally recognize July 16 as Atomic Veterans Day – honoring veterans involved in nuclear testing between 1945 and 1962. After the Senate’s unanimous approval Tuesday, the House passed it 122-0, sending it to the governor.

“They deserve the recognition,” Rep. Paul Rosenthal (DFL-Edina) said.

The state hasn’t been asking individuals if they are veterans when they’re appointed to agencies, commissions, task forces or councils. Sponsored by Rep. Dale Lueck (R-Aitkin) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) and passed 121-0, HF3507/SF3004* would require the secretary of state’s office to track that data. The bill, passed 67-0 in the Senate May 1, goes to the governor.

“All we’re asking is simply, to ask, ‘Veteran? Yes or no?’” Lueck said. “It’s one way we can continue to track our vets and see what they’re doing … to just see the kind of demographics we have within those agencies.”

Cities and counties could formally recognize Purple Heart recipients under HF3477/SF3262*, sponsored by Rep. Matt Bliss (R-Pennington) and Sen. Dan Hall (R-Burnsville) which passed 122-0. The bill would allow local entities to designate themselves as “Purple Heart” counties or cities, where they could accept donations for signage and designate Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day in their communities. Passed unanimously in the Senate May 1, it now goes to the governor.