ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House on Friday overwhelmingly approved legislation Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Acton Township, said shows our state’s commitment to taking care of our military veterans.
Urdahl said the bill includes more than $10 million for construction cost increases for the three new veterans homes in Bemidji, Montevideo, and Preston, and more than $16 million for enhancements and furnishings to these facilities. As chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, Urdahl in 2018 helped deliver state funding to construct the three veterans homes.
“I’m glad we passed this bill to keep these veterans homes on track, especially the one in Montevideo,” Urdahl said. “The hope is to open all three of these homes next year and the funding in this bill could be instrumental in reaching that goal. It was good to see the Legislature provide such strong support for veterans by approving this bill with broad, bipartisan support.
Overall, the veterans and military affairs package (S.F. 4233), appropriates an additional $2.2 million to the Department of Military Affairs and an additional $52.351 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans and Gold Star families who served post-9/11 will receive a combined $24.8 million in post-service bonus payments. The bill also includes funding to address veteran homelessness, money for the State Veterans Cemetery in Redwood Falls, and other veterans related programs.
The bill passed the House 122-1 and cleared the Senate without opposition. It has been presented to the governor for enactment.
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