Senate subcommittee advances bill to create Native American veterans memorial after testimony and amendment

A Minnesota Senate subcommittee voted to pass Senate File 2259, a bill to establish a Native American Veterans Memorial, and referred the bill to the Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development after testimony from Native American veterans and Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs staff.

The bill, described to the subcommittee as a measure to “honor and recognize the remarkable contributions of Native Americans serving in our military,” would convene a Native American Veterans Memorial advisory task force to develop design recommendations; the task force is described in the bill as 13 members and must make an artist selection under an oral amendment adopted during the hearing.

The measure attracted several testifiers who described high rates of military service among Native Americans, challenges in accessing veterans benefits, and the cultural importance of recognition. Brandon Elkayer, legislative director for the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and a U.S. Navy veteran,…