Senator Nicole Mitchell Votes to Support Military Affairs and Veterans Homes Projects

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A $1.5 billion capital investment bill was presented on the Senate floor and blocked by Republicans who voted to defeat the bill. Senator Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury), a Lt. Col. serving in the National Guard and vice chair of the Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Committee, issued the following statement following the floor vote:

“There are so many important projects that would be funded in this bill. When our session started, we heard Republicans lamenting that the DFL didn’t care about our veterans. I took offense to that, and this bill proves that they were wrong. The capital investment package we presented on the floor today would provide more than $25 million for Readiness Centers in Rosemount, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, and Marshall, as well as $5.7 million for the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley. Another $12.3 million would go toward maintenance and upkeep of veterans homes in Minneapolis, Luverne, Fergus Falls and Silver Bay. Maybe the single most desperately needed project for our veterans is the $77.7 million to upgrade, modernize and rebuild the veterans home in Hastings. That’s among the biggest projects in this entire bill and reflects that taking care of our veterans is absolutely a priority for the DFL caucus. If Republicans want to support veterans, they should join us in voting to pass a capital investment bill and fund these projects. I look forward to the opportunity to revisit this vital funding to meet the needs of our veterans this session.”

In a subsequent vote, the bill was laid on the table for possible reconsideration at a later date.

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Senator Nicole Mitchell represents Senate District 47 which includes Maplewood and Woodbury. She is vice chair of the State and Local Government and Veterans Committee, and serves on the Elections Committee, Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate Committee, and the Human Services Committee.
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