Minnesota Statutes Veterans (Ch. 196-198) § 197.236. State veterans cemeteries

Subdivisions 1, 2. Repealed byLaws 1999, c. 86, art. 2, § 6.

Subd. 3. Operation and maintenance. The commissioner of veterans affairs shall supervise and control the veterans cemeteries established under this section. The cemeteries are to be maintained and operated in accordance with the operational standards and measures of the National Cemetery Administration. The commissioner may contract for the maintenance of the cemeteries. All personnel, equipment, and support necessary for maintenance and operation of the cemeteries must be included in the department's budget.

Subd. 4. Repealed byLaws 2004, c. 256, art. 2, § 5, eff. May 30, 2004.

Subd. 5. Rules. The commissioner of veterans affairs may adopt rules regarding the operation of the cemeteries. The commissioner shall require that upright granite markers supplied by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs be used to mark all gravesites.

Subd. 6. Permanent development and maintenance account. A veterans cemetery development and maintenance account is established in the special revenue fund of the state treasury. Receipts for burial fees, plot or interment allowance claims, designated appropriations, and any other cemetery receipts must be deposited into this account. The money in the account, including interest earned, is appropriated to the commissioner to be used for the development, operation, maintenance, and improvement of the cemeteries. To the extent practicable, the commissioner of veterans affairs must apply for available federal grants to establish, expand, or improve the cemeteries.

Subd. 7. Repealed byLaws 2008, c. 297, art. 2, § 30, eff. July 1, 2008.

Subd. 8. Eligibility. Cemeteries must be operated solely for the burial of service members who die on active duty, eligible veterans, and their spouses and dependent children, as defined inUnited States Code, title 38, section 101, paragraph (2).

Subd. 10. Repealed byLaws 2008, c. 297, art. 2, § 30, eff. July 1, 2008.

Subd. 11. Plot allowance claims. The commissioner of veterans affairs must apply to the Veterans Benefits Administration for a plot or interment allowance payable to the state for expenses incurred by the state in the burial of eligible veterans in cemeteries owned and operated by the state if the burial is performed at no cost to the veteran's next of kin.

Subd. 12. No staff. No staff may be hired for any new veterans cemetery without explicit legislative approval.