It has been a busy couple weeks here as we have heard and passed many finance and policy bills off the floor, including Veterans. As vice chair of the Veterans Committee, I am glad we were able to pass this off the floor as this legislation delivers meaningful support for Minnesota’s veterans and prioritizes suicide prevention as it's central focus. 

The legislation addresses the ongoing crisis that takes the lives of nearly 100 Minnesota veterans every year, strengthening mental health resources and access to life-saving services. Suicide continues to claim far too many of our heroes long after the battlefield. We cannot allow these tragedies to continue unchecked. This bill strengthens the front lines of prevention and brings hope to veterans who feel they’ve been left behind. 

In addition to strengthening mental health support, the bill prioritizes care for aging veterans by funding staff for newly certified long-term care homes. Although authorized in 2017 and opened last year, these facilities faced staffing delays due to certification requirements, which have since been resolved. This bill ensures they can staff up and deliver the quality care our veterans deserve. 

The bill also ensures that veterans receive a pension contribution for state active duty, just as they would for federal active duty, because duty is duty, regardless of where you are serving. Further, it takes steps to acknowledge the contributions of Special Guerrilla Units (SGUs) who supported U.S. operations in Vietnam, without changing the definition of what it means to be a veteran.  

Last week we also passed State Government, Elections, Transportation, Commerce, and Higher Education finance and policy bills off the house floor.   

I will continue to work hard as we push into the last few weeks of session.