I’ve often talked about what a pleasure it is to serve on the Minnesota House Veterans and Military Affairs committee. It’s such an honor to serve and advocate for our current and former military members in this way. In addition, I greatly appreciate the bipartisan work of this committee. It is clear that we share the same common goal, which is to properly thank Minnesota’s veterans and current military members for the sacrifices they’ve made to help defend our nation.
The money available for this committee to allocate to veterans’ needs is minuscule in comparison to the budgets of K-12 Education or statewide health and human services programs. And with a $6 billion deficit projected in the next budget, our resources need to be used wisely. With that in mind, I was pleased that Republicans and Democrats were able to come together on a bipartisan House proposal that addresses some of the needs of the brave men and women who have fought for our freedoms.
One of our top priorities this session was funding to help end veteran suicide in Minnesota. Each year, nearly 100 Minnesota veterans take their own lives. Sadly, veterans commit suicide at a much higher rate than the general population. This bill prioritizes mental health support for veterans and expands resources to help prevent these tragedies.
The legislation also includes a significant provision that acknowledges the sacrifices National Guard solders make when they are called to active state duty. Under current law, if they are called to active federal duty, they receive a contribution to a pension, but that doesn’t exist if they are called to active state duty to assist with floods, tornadoes, blizzards, or other state missions. This provision would provide a small pension offset for Minnesota’s National Guard soldiers who are called into active state duty.
We prioritized the limited funding the committee had available to the state’s veterans skilled-nursing homes for the men and women who have given so much for our state and country, as the goal is for veteran care in Minnesota to be first class. We also protected the definition of a veteran for those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces while acknowledging the contributions of Special Guerrilla Units (SGUs) to U.S. operations during the Vietnam War. This included directing the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs to determine which of these SGUs would be eligible for honorary recognition and properly acknowledged for their sacrifices.
This is a bipartisan bill that seeks to keep our promise to those who served and support our active military when they return home. With a 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House, everything we do is seemingly unpredictable. Yet, when it comes to veterans’ issues, we always seem to have a predictable outcome from both Republicans and Democrats: overwhelming support. It’s my hope we’ll see exactly that once again when the veterans and military affairs finance bill arrives on the House floor in the coming days.
Thank you to all the veterans, National Guard members, and active military in our local communities and state. Your service and sacrifice to our nation and state is greatly valued and appreciated. It’s an honor to serve you as a state representative!