Senate File 388, carried by Senator Lisky, would eliminate fees charged to spouses and eligible dependents for burial in Minnesota state veterans cemeteries and at Fort Snelling. The Veterans Subcommittee on Feb. 10 heard testimony from veterans, surviving spouses and Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) staff on cost, funding options and operational considerations.

Kevin Millich (retired Master Sergeant, Minnesota Air National Guard) and Jack Schlichting (spouse of a veteran) testified in support, describing the burdens spouses carry when a service member deploys and arguing that removing burial fees would recognize families’ service and reduce financial stress at the end of life. Millich said spouses shoulder many household responsibilities during deployment and that allowing spouse burials without a fee is a modest recognition of that sacrifice.

John Kelly, MDVA director of government affairs, explained how fees currently work: MDVA does not charge veterans for burial in state veteran cemeteries but does charge eligible spouses and dependents a fee that MDVA aligns with comparable federal cemetery costs. Kelly told the committee the fee had been adjusted to $978 effective March 1 and that the department plans to adjust that rate annually at the start of the federal fiscal year to capture inflationary costs. He said about half of U.S. states charge a spouse fee and that Wisconsin and South Dakota use different fee structures.

Senator Lisky and MDVA staff discussed two possible approaches to cover the lost revenue if fees were removed. One would use existing Support Our Troops license-plate funds administered by MDVA; those funds currently support a broad grants portfolio and could not be considered a perfect one‑for‑one replacement without reallocating funds. The other approach, included as an option in the bill, is a direct general-fund appropriation to offset fee revenue lost to MDVA.

MDVA staff cautioned that using the Support Our Troops fund to replace spouse-fee revenue would reduce grant funds available to other veterans organizations. With a direct appropriation from the general fund, MDVA indicated it could remove the fee without reallocating existing grant funds. Committee members asked MDVA for clarification of the fiscal note and cost drivers; MDVA said the $978 figure reflects recent inflationary adjustments and that the fiscal note estimates potential biennial impacts based on current burial volumes.

The subcommittee held Senate File 388 over for possible inclusion; no final action was taken during the hearing.

Ending: Committee members asked staff to consider appropriation offsets and fiscal impacts; senators and witnesses emphasized the policy’s purpose to reduce end-of-life financial burdens on veteran families.