Minnesota House repasses tax bill after debate over veterans’ homestead exclusion

The Minnesota House on third reading voted 126-8 to repass House File 2438, a tax bill described in the chamber as the conference report on taxes.

Representative Niska moved to take House File 2438 from the table, and the motion prevailed. The clerk reported the conference report and the chamber proceeded to third reading and debate before a roll call.

Representative Olson, recognized for further discussion, said veterans’ organizations — which he listed as including the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, Marine Corps League, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars — had urged lawmakers to increase the disabled-veteran homestead market-value exclusion. ‘‘Last year, I asked if the state of Minnesota had forgotten about our veterans,’’ Olson said, adding that the exclusion had been set roughly 20 years ago and citing example caps mentioned in the debate for 100%- and 70%-disabled veterans. Olson presented county-level estimates of the fiscal impact, saying the change would shift property taxes by small fractions of a percent in counties he examined and would amount to about "$4.80 per taxpayer’’ in his calculation. He urged action next year.

No amendment to increase the exclusion was adopted during the floor discussion; Olson said the change was not included in the conference report currently before the House.

Representative Come, speaking for members from Hennepin County, thanked the tax committee for including language requiring an independent study of nuclear energy. ‘‘The language in the bill will ensure an unbiased study of nuclear energy, including a true comparison of the life-cycle costs, the health impacts, environmental impacts, risks of accidents, transmission expansion and liabilities between nuclear energy generation and other forms of generation, including renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and battery storage,’’ she said, and said the study’s findings were expected next year.

Representative Gomez urged members to support the bill, asking members to vote ‘‘Green.’’ Representative Davids expressed support for the bill as written, thanked committee staff and others who assisted in drafting and processing the measure, and noted several local projects and local-option sales-tax proposals that were not included in the conference report, including a conversion project in Virginia from a steam plant to natural gas that she said would need an alternative funding pathway.

The clerk called the roll for the third-reading vote, including members participating remotely. The clerk announced the final tally as 126 ayes and 8 nays and stated that the bill was repassed as amended by conference and that its title was agreed to.

Next steps: as announced on the floor, House File 2438 was repassed and will proceed per the conference report; no floor amendment to increase the disabled-veteran homestead market-value exclusion was adopted during the session recorded in the transcript.