ST. PAUL – State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said he opposes a House Democrat bill that reduces state funding to cities and counties that choose to fly the old state flag instead of the new version.
The bill (H.F. 5077) comes at a time when numerous local governments have chosen to fly the customary 1983 version instead of the one developed by a commission Democrats in full control of the Capitol selected in 2023 to redesign Minnesota’s flag and seal. The proposed measure would reduce local government aid by 10 percent for entities choosing to display any other flag than the one that became official in 2024.
Swedzinski said LGA is a key source of state funding for local governments – helping communities pay for essential services such as police and fire departments – making this a significant financial penalty for noncompliance.
“This is the ultimate big-government bill that shows how out of touch some people are,” Swedzinski said. “They go out and rally against perceived authoritarianism, and then turn around and push authoritarian legislation through bills mandating what flag Minnesotans must fly, with financial punishments for not complying.
“We should spend more time focusing bills to help make Minnesota more affordable and crack down on fraud instead of looking at ways to coerce people into displaying only Democrat-approved flags.”
While the commission ultimately selected the new design, Swedzinski said it was not directly approved by voters or the legislature. Instead, the enabling law specified that the commission’s final choice would automatically become the official state flag on May 11, 2024.
Since then, the design has faced resistance from some residents and local governments, with several cities – including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights – opting to continue flying the former flag on public property. Current state law does not require local governments to display the official flag.
“Democrats could have spared themselves from this embarrassing debacle if they’d just bothered listening to Minnesotans in the first place,” Swedzinski said. “Most people weren’t asking for a new flag and then neither the public nor the legislature had final say in the redesign.”
Apart from House Republicans opposing the bill in a tied House, Swedzinski said it also faces procedural hurdles because it was introduced after this year’s legislative deadlines had passed. It also does not yet have a companion measure in the Senate.
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