Plain English Breakdown
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HF3684 • 2026
Standards established for legislatively directed competitive and direct grants issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and report required.
Standards established for legislatively directed competitive and direct grants issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and report required.
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Bill History
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2026-03-18
House
Committee report, to adopt as amended
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2026-02-25
House
Introduction and first reading, referred to Veterans and Military Affairs Division
Official Summary Text
Standards established for legislatively directed competitive and direct grants issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and report required.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
A bill for an act relating to veterans; establishing standards for legislatively directed competitive and direct grants issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs; requiring a report; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 196. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: Section 1. new text begin [196.055] REQUIREMENTS FOR LEGISLATIVELY DIRECTED COMPETITIVE AND DIRECT GRANTS. new text end new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end new text begin Definitions. new text end new text begin (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given. new text end new text begin (b) "Active service member" means a person currently serving in the uniformed services of the United States of America: new text end new text begin (1) on active duty who is a resident of the state or stationed in the state; or new text end new text begin (2) in a reserve component who is a resident of the state. new text end new text begin (c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of veterans affairs. new text end new text begin (d) "Dependent child" means a child under the age of 22 who is a biological or adopted child of a veteran. new text end new text begin (e) "Immediate family member" means a spouse or dependent child of a veteran. new text end new text begin (f) "Veteran" means a person who is a resident of Minnesota and who served in the armed forces of the United States of America. new text end new text begin Subd. 2. new text end new text begin Grantee eligibility. new text end new text begin (a) To be eligible to receive a legislatively directed competitive or direct grant administered by the commissioner, the grantee must be: new text end new text begin (1) a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that has been operating for at least five years; new text end new text begin (2) be in good standing with the Office of the Attorney General; and new text end new text begin (3) have a current federal tax form 990 on file with the federal Internal Revenue Service. new text end new text begin (b) Grants made by the commissioner pursuant to sections 190.19, subdivision 2a, clauses (5) and (6); 197.608; and 197.61 are exempt from the requirements of this section. new text end new text begin Subd. 3. new text end new text begin Limitations on use of grant money. new text end new text begin (a) A grantee may only use grant money subject to this section to provide services to: new text end new text begin (1) Minnesota veterans; new text end new text begin (2) active service members; new text end new text begin (3) immediate family members of a Minnesota veteran or active service member; and new text end new text begin (4) immediate family members of a Minnesota veteran who died in the line of duty. new text end new text begin (b) When there are insufficient resources to serve all eligible applicants, a grantee must prioritize serving veterans with a service-connected disability. new text end new text begin Subd. 4. new text end new text begin Grant application scoring system. new text end new text begin The commissioner must develop a grant application scoring system that evaluates a grant application based upon an applicant's demonstrated history of serving veterans. The scoring system must include measurable outcomes for veterans previously served by the applicant. new text end new text begin Subd. 5. new text end new text begin Grant amounts. new text end new text begin The commissioner shall determine the amount of each legislatively directed competitive grant awarded based on the results of the scoring system developed pursuant to subdivision 4. The commissioner may not use a grantee's request for a designated grant amount as a factor to determine the amount of the grant awarded to the grantee. new text end new text begin Subd. 6. new text end new text begin Suspension of grant money. new text end new text begin The commissioner may withhold an amount awarded to a grantee if the commissioner determines that the grantee has committed fraud, is under criminal investigation, has conducted itself in a manner that brings the state of Minnesota or the Department of Veterans Affairs into disrepute, or is incapable of delivering the services required under the grant agreement. new text end new text begin Subd. 7. new text end new text begin Reports. new text end new text begin (a) Beginning in 2027, by February 15 of each year a grantee must submit a report to the commissioner that includes the following information: new text end new text begin (1) a summary of the purpose of the grant; new text end new text begin (2) the grant amount provided to the grantee; new text end new text begin (3) the amount of previous grants issued by the commissioner to the grantee; new text end new text begin (4) the amount of other state and federal grants received by the grantee in the most recent fiscal year; new text end new text begin (5) the number of veterans, active service members, and immediate family members served by the grantee; new text end new text begin (6) the number of veterans, active service members, and immediate family members who successfully completed the grantee's programming and the criteria used to determine successful completion of the programming; and new text end new text begin (7) the grantee's charitable giving ratio. new text end new text begin (b) The commissioner may require a grantee to report information in addition to the required information under paragraph (a) if specified in the grantee's grant agreement with the state. new text end new text begin (c) Beginning in 2027, by March 1 of each year the commissioner must submit a report on grantees that received legislatively directed competitive or direct grants from the agency in the preceding year to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over veterans affairs policy and finance. The report must summarize the information and aggregate the data provided by grantees under paragraph (a). new text end new text begin Subd. 8. new text end new text begin Administrative costs. new text end new text begin The commissioner may retain up to five percent of the amount appropriated for legislatively directed competitive and direct grants to fund administrative and compliance monitoring costs related to the grants. new text end new text begin Subd. 9. new text end new text begin Interaction with other law. new text end new text begin Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the requirements for grants established under this section are in addition to the applicable grants management requirements imposed under sections 16B.97 to 16B.991. new text end