SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the House Labor, Industry, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee unanimously approved its 2022 House Veterans & Military Affairs Finance Bill. The legislation includes measures to address veteran homelessness, mental health, and economic security.
“I’m incredibly proud of this committee’s work to create a future in this state where Minnesota veterans can have robust opportunities to thrive, with quality health and wellbeing and economic security,” said Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL – International Falls), bill author and committee chair. “While we’ve made some significant progress tackling veteran homelessness, too many veterans still don’t have a place to call home. We’re also all too familiar with the tragedies of veteran suicide. With a $9.25 billion surplus, we have a great deal of capacity to tackle these persistent problems and invest in solutions we know will help lead to a brighter future for those who’ve served.”
In all, the bill invests $44 million in new funding for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, nearly all of which are also part of Governor Walz’s supplemental budget proposal.
Over the last three years, House DFLers have demonstrated a dedication to ending veteran homelessness in Minnesota, and this bill funds several strategies to continue these efforts. The legislation delivers an additional $11.6 million toward housing for veterans, including an $8.8 million grant for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans to establish permanent housing and support for veterans, $1.714 million in annual funding for short-term housing, and $1.1 million worth of incentives to encourage landlords to take on veterans as tenants.
House DFLers also continue their focus on veteran mental health and suicide prevention through an additional $1.65 million for MDVA’s programming. Funding would be used for a series of strategies including representatives at major hospitals throughout the state to connect with veterans who have been admitted, work with gun shop owners to encourage safe storage of firearms, and a mobile, mental health-based, veteran connection program. The budget also includes a grant for Holistic Health and Fitness initiatives across the Minnesota National Guard.
The bill includes a grant for Meals on Wheels to expand its services to veterans. Not only would this help ensure veterans have access to healthy meals, but it creates another point of contact to identify those with possible mental health concerns or housing insecurity.
In recent years, we’ve increased our reliance on the National Guard to mobilize in response to natural disasters, public health emergencies, and situations impacting public safety. To attract additional highly qualified candidates, the bill appropriates $2 million to the Minnesota National Guard for enlistment incentives.
The budget includes funding to recognize post-9/11-era veterans with service bonuses. There are approximately 48,000 eligible veterans, over half of whom deployed to combat operations including those in Afghanistan or Iraq. Minnesota has previously recognized veterans’ service in major wars—including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War.
Additionally, the bill increases funding for County Veteran Services Offices by $1.1 million per year, and grants to Veteran Service Organizations including the American Legion, the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, and the Order of the Purple Heart by $1.55 million annually.
The bill now heads to the Committee on Ways and Means. Video of today’s hearing will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel. Documents and other information from the hearing are available on the committee webpage.