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Committee lays over bill to add veteran status to Minnesota Human Rights Act
Summary
HF 3540, as amended, would add veteran and military status as a protected class under the Minnesota Human Rights Act; state veterans and military officials testified it would align Minnesota with other states and asked lawmakers to ensure reservists and National Guard service are covered and to address related education protections.
House File 3540, considered March 12 by the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee, would add veteran and military status to the Minnesota Human Rights Act as a protected characteristic.
Representative Bliss presented an A3 amendment that clarified which categories of service are included. John Kelly, director of government affairs for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, said the change would make Minnesota the sixth state to add veteran status to state non-discrimination protections and urged support. "If this bill is passed into law, Minnesota would join 5 other states that have added veteran status or military status as a protected class under their state level non-discrimination statutes," Kelly said.
Nicholas Late, deputy general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs and the National Guard, supported the amendment but advised caution on how federal veteran definitions interact with state protections for reservists and guard members called to state active duty; he also raised repeated education challenges when guardspeople are called away from certificate programs and urged legislative attention to that issue so members are not forced to drop training.
Committee members expressed support for protecting veterans but debated whether adding veteran status to the Human Rights Act is the best mechanism and raised questions about unintended consequences, scope and alternative remedies. Representative Bliss said she raised constituent complaints of apparent discrimination in employment and housing and felt the proposed update was the appropriate response. The committee laid HF 3540, as amended, over for further consideration.
