State Representative Paul Anderson said on April 29 he opposes a bill in the Minnesota House that would reduce state funding to cities and counties choosing to fly the previous state flag instead of the new one. The proposed legislation, House File 5077, would cut local government aid by ten percent for any municipality displaying a flag other than the official version adopted in 2024.
The issue has gained attention as several local governments have decided to continue flying the customary 1983 version of the Minnesota flag rather than switch to the newly designed one. The new design was selected by a commission established by Democrats who held full control of the Capitol in 2023. The law specified that this commission’s final choice would automatically become official on May 11, 2024, without requiring approval from either the legislature or voters.
Anderson said local government aid is an important source of funding for essential services such as police and fire departments. “The new flag was never approved by the legislature, or by a vote of the citizens of Minnesota,” Anderson said. “And now this bill introduction by the DFL to force municipalities to display the new flag is embarrassing and illustrates the widespread disapproval of the new design.”
Since becoming official, resistance has emerged from some residents and city leaders. Cities including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights have continued flying the former state flag on public property. Current law does not require municipalities to display only the official state flag.
“It’s too bad we’ve gotten to the point where bills are being drafted that force Minnesotans to fly a flag they may not want to fly, or suffer funding cuts as a consequence,” Anderson said. “It seems heavy handed.” He also said that beyond opposition from House Republicans in an evenly divided chamber, procedural issues could prevent progress because it was introduced after legislative deadlines had passed and lacks a Senate companion measure.
