Lieske bill to eliminate burial fees for veterans’ families gets first hearing

A bill from Senator Bill Lieske (R-Lonsdale) that would eliminate burial fees in Minnesota state veterans cemeteries for the spouses and children of veterans received a hearing in the Senate Veterans Subcommittee on Monday. Senate File 388 seeks to remove a financial burden on military families, so veterans and their loved ones can be laid to rest together without any unneeded costs.  

“Right now, we are charging the spouses of deceased veterans just to be buried next to their loved ones,” Sen. Lieske said. “That fee is just a totally unnecessary burden that we are placing on families who have already sacrificed so much. This is a small token of gratitude that we should have shown to military families long ago.” 

Spouses and children of veterans currently must pay a burial fee unless they qualify as very low-income. The Lieske proposal would remove the fee entirely, allowing all eligible dependents to be buried in a state veterans cemetery at no cost. 

The bill also expands the ways Minnesota’s Support Our Troops fund can be used, adding burial costs for spouses and children to the list of approved expenses. Additionally, it sets aside state funding to protect veterans cemeteries from facing additional financial strain as a result of the policy change.  

Two of Senator Lieske’s constituents from Cannon Falls, Jack Schlichting and Kevin Millage (Retired Master Sergeant in the Minnesota Air National Guard), testified in support of the bill. 

A version of this proposal was included in the original veterans budget bill that passed the Senate in 2023 but was removed by Democrats in a House-Senate conference committee. 

 

ADDITIONAL MEDIA