Bill would require annual MDVA reports on grant recipients; committee lays HF1778 over

The House Veterans and Military Affairs Division on March 12, 2025 heard House File 1778, which would require the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report on organizations that received agency grants in the preceding fiscal year beginning Jan. 15, 2026; the division laid the bill over for further consideration.

Rep. Johnson, sponsor of HF1778, told the committee the bill is intended to increase accountability and ensure “the money is being spent on the people that our intentions are.” He asked for the division’s support while introducing former Rep. Mark Wiens as a testifier.

Mark Wiens, a veteran and former state representative from Washington County who testified for the bill, described the measure as bipartisan and previously advanced through committee work. Wiens said the intent is to “develop success metrics to ensure that we better serve our veterans and keep our promises to them” and added, “Nothing less will be accepted from our former service members, our comrades and our veterans.”

Under the bill as described in the hearing, the commissioner of veterans affairs would submit a yearly report beginning Jan. 15, 2026 to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over veterans policy and finance. The bill text as presented to the committee focuses on transparency and program effectiveness but does not specify additional enforcement mechanisms beyond the reporting requirement.

No formal vote on the substance of HF1778 occurred; the division recorded that the bill was laid over for future action.