1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to veterans; modifying eligibility for burial in state veterans cemeteries;
1.3 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 197.236, subdivisions 8, 
1.4 	9.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 197.236, subdivision 8, is amended 
1.7 	to read:
1.8 		Subd. 8.Eligibility. (a) Cemeteries must be operated solely for the burial of the following 
1.9 	persons:
1.10 	(1) service members who die on active duty, eligible veterans, and their spouses and 
1.11 	dependent children, other persons as defined in United States Code, title 38, section 2402, 
1.12 	paragraph (a), subparagraphs 1 to 5 4, 7, and 7. 10;
1.13 	(2) members of a reserve component of the armed forces and any member of the Army 
1.14 	National Guard or the Air National Guard if:
1.15 	(i) the member completed at least one full term of service and the member received an 
1.16 	honorable discharge; or
1.17 	(ii) the member's death occurs while a member in good standing with the member's 
1.18 	assigned component and was not due to the member's willful misconduct; and
1.19 	(3) spouses, surviving spouses, minor children, or unmarried adult children of a person 
1.20 	as defined in United States Code, title 38, section 2402, paragraph (a), subparagraphs 1 to 
1.21 	4 and 7, or clause (2). For purposes of this section:
1.22 	(i) a "surviving spouse" includes a surviving spouse who had a subsequent remarriage;
2.1 	(ii) a "minor child" means an unmarried child under 21 years of age, or under 23 years 
2.2 	of age if pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an approved educational institution; 
2.3 	and
2.4 	(iii) an "unmarried adult child" means a child who became permanently physically or 
2.5 	mentally disabled and incapable of self-support before reaching 21 years of age, or before 
2.6 	reaching 23 years of age if pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an approved 
2.7 	educational institution.
2.8 	(b) For purposes of this section, an honorable discharge does not include a general (under 
2.9 	honorable conditions) characterization of service.
2.10 	(c) For purposes of this section, "willful misconduct" means an act involving conscious 
2.11 	wrongdoing or known prohibited action as described in United States Code, title 38, section 
2.12 	3.1, paragraph (n).
2.13 	(d) Applicants with convictions under United States Code, title 18, section 704, are not 
2.14 	eligible for burial in state veterans cemeteries. By January 1, 2027, the commissioner shall 
2.15 	establish a process to verify that applicants for burial have not been convicted of stolen 
2.16 	valor.

2.17 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 197.236, subdivision 9, is amended 
2.18 	to read:
2.19 		Subd. 9.Burial fees. (a) The commissioner of veterans affairs shall establish a fee 
2.20 	schedule, which may be adjusted from time to time, for the interment of eligible spouses 
2.21 	and dependent children qualified persons under subdivision 8, paragraph (a), clauses (2) 
2.22 	and (3). The fees shall cover as nearly as practicable the actual costs of interment, excluding 
2.23 	the value of the plot.
2.24 	(b) Upon application, the commissioner may waive or reduce the burial fee for an indigent 
2.25 	eligible person. The commissioner shall maintain a policy, eligibility standards, and 
2.26 	application form for requests to waive or reduce the burial fee to indigent eligible applicants.
2.27 	(c) No plot or interment fees may be charged for the burial of service members who die 
2.28 	on active duty or eligible veterans, as defined in United States Code, title 38, section 2402, 
2.29 	paragraph (a), subparagraphs 1 to 4 and 7.