Minnesota House Bill HF145

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/10/25
• Refer: 2/10/25

Caption

Authority for the city of St. Paul Park and Grey Cloud Island Township provided to impose an aggregate material production tax.

Summary

HF145 amends Minnesota veterans law to eliminate burial fees in state veterans cemeteries for eligible spouses and dependent children of veterans, while preserving the existing no-fee burial treatment for eligible veterans and service members who die on active duty. Under current law, the commissioner of veterans affairs sets a fee schedule for interment of eligible spouses and dependent children, with the ability to waive or reduce fees for indigent applicants. This bill changes that framework by directing that no burial fee be charged for spouses and dependents who qualify under the statute. The bill also updates the use of money from the Minnesota "Support Our Troops" account. It adds authority for those funds to cover the Department of Veterans Affairs’ uncompensated burial costs for eligible dependents who receive a no-fee or reduced-fee burial in state veterans cemeteries. The bill retains the existing list of permissible uses for the account, including grants to veterans service organizations, outreach, family services, Gold Star license plates, and grants to approved nonprofit foundations supporting veterans and their families.

Impact

The bill would amend Minnesota Statutes sections 190.19 and 197.236 by removing burial fees for eligible spouses and dependent children in state veterans cemeteries and by shifting the associated uncompensated costs to the Support Our Troops account. In practical terms, it reduces out-of-pocket burial costs for surviving family members of eligible veterans and expands the state’s authority to use dedicated veterans funds to offset cemetery expenses. It affects the Department of Veterans Affairs, eligible spouses and dependent children, and the state account that finances veterans-related programs.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a supportive veterans benefit with no documented opposition in the available record. The bill’s purpose is straightforward and sympathetic: easing burial costs for military families and aligning state funding authority with that policy change. No committee debate or vote history is available here to indicate broader controversy or partisan division.

Contention

The main policy issue is fiscal rather than ideological: whether the state should fully eliminate burial fees for eligible spouses and dependents and whether the Support Our Troops account should absorb the resulting costs. Potential concerns would likely center on the impact to the account balance and whether dedicating those funds to burial costs could reduce resources available for other veterans programs. No specific objections, amendments, or opposing viewpoints are included in the provided materials.