Hunting, fishing licenses to be $5 for many disabled veterans

Legislature yields a few small victories

ST. PAUL — The biggest disappointment of the legislative session is this:

The American Legion and other veteran organizations in the Minnesota Commanders’ Task Force have been trying for 14 years to increase the thresholds for disabled veterans receiving the property tax value exclusion.

Meanwhile, home values continue to rise and rise. In 2024, state Rep. Jerry Newton and others thought this would pass — finally. Nope. In 2025, it died again. It died in the same place it always dies: the Minnesota Senate Tax Committee.

Efforts by the CTF and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to pass a claim shark bill died this session when certain senators paid more attention to the shark organizations than the veteran organizations. But the session did bring much-needed awareness to the issue.

“There is far too much scamming going on in the veterans world — in Minnesota and across the country — than the public realizes,” said American Legion Legislative Chairman Kristy Janigo.

Initiatives to reduce taxes on charitable gambling were tied to the sports-betting bill, and when that died early in the session, so did tax cuts for charitable gambling despite some effort to having it stand on its own.

Janigo said two bright spots were preventing drastic cuts by the House to the MDVA’s homeless prevention program and garnering $300,000 of new funding to Lutheran Social Service to provide free meal services to veterans in need outside of Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey counties (where Metro Meals on Wheels already provides).

“This is a big win for Greater Minnesota. It deserves the services veterans in the metro receive,” she said.

The organizations of the CTF work together, and DAV of Minnesota Legislative Director Trent Dilks accomplished a major goal.

“Just over 10 years ago, I proposed my first initiative for the CTF: reduced-cost hunting and fishing licenses.

Starting March 1, 2027, veterans rated 50 to 99 percent disabled will pay only $5 for hunting and fishing licenses. (Veterans rated 100 percent already received free ones.)

Dilks researched states with free hunting and fishing licenses for veterans and found those licenses do not count toward the calculation the federal government uses for distributing dollars for wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation programs. He proposed the “Minnesota Model,” which keeps a $5 fee in place, which will allow the state to count those licenses in the federal calculation.

In other words, the state will get back $19 for every $5 license purchased.

“It took 10 years. Some years, one party would carry it. Another year, the other party would carry it, and depending on who would carry it, the other would lose interest,” Dilks said. “This was an example of politics at it worst. This year, it was actually an example of politics at its best.”

He said Gov. Tim Walz proposed it, with some cooperation from the DNR. Sen. Andrew Lang resurrected it in the Senate, saving it from getting pushed another year. That meant it had bipartisan and agency support — the trifecta needed.

“This is how our system was meant to work. I’m glad we could get it done.”

The Veterans & Military Affairs Omnibus Bill passed, signed by the governor on May 23.

It funds the Department of Military Affairs (Minnesota National Guard) at $29,487,000 in the first fiscal year and $33,458,000 in the second. The first fiscal year ends June 30, 2026. The second ends June 30, 2027.

The bill funds the MDVA at $142,457,000 for the first and $146,710,000 the second. This covers its many programs: cemeteries, grants to VSOs (including the Legion), honor guard reimbursements, Minnesota G.I. Bill, Gold Star Program, CVSO grants, Camp Bliss, LSS CORE home-delivered meals, veteran assistance, veteran homelessness, Hometown Hero Outdoors, Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, the eight veteran homes, among others.

What’s new is the veterans affairs commissioner must form an advisory task force on the Special Guerilla Units and Irregular Forces in Laos. The new law allows veterans of the Secret War in Laos — generally people from Minnesota’s Hmong population —  who are naturalized citizens or lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States to be entitled to the following privileges:

• “Veteran” designation on drivers’ licenses and state ID cards.
• Purchase of grave markers.
• Burial in state veteran cemeteries.
• Certified copies of vital records.
• Veterans preference in hiring.
• Honor guard reimbursement.

Another new item in the bill calls on the commissioner to place a memorial plaque in the court of honor of the Capitol grounds to recognize the service and sacrifices of the state’s Gold Star and Blue Star families. The process to do this will go through the Capitol Area Architectural & Planning Board.

The memorial design must be furnished by the Gold Star and Blue Star groups, the bill states.

One line in the bill requires the commissioner to create a comprehensive plan to prevent veterans from dying by suicide.

Also, veterans in Minnesota can look for new veteran health navigators in community-based hospitals to help veterans figure out the ever-complicated health care system and make informed choices.