State Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Silver Township, said on April 29 he is against a House Democrat bill that would reduce state funding to cities and counties choosing to fly the old Minnesota state flag instead of the new version.
The proposed legislation (H.F. 5077) comes as several local governments have decided to display the customary 1983 flag rather than the design selected by a commission in 2023. That commission was formed when Democrats had full control of the Capitol and was tasked with redesigning Minnesota’s flag and seal. The measure would cut local government aid by ten percent for any entity displaying a different flag than the one made official in 2024.
Dotseth said this aid is an important source of funding for local governments, supporting essential services such as police and fire departments. He described the penalty as significant for communities that do not comply with flying only the new official flag. “It’s ultimately a tax increase for not obeying government’s orders because local taxpayers would have to make up for the lost state aid,” Dotseth said. “It’s pretty rich for the same people who wave ‘No Kings’ signs to turn around and demand Minnesotans fly their chosen flag or pay the price.”
According to Dotseth, while a commission chose Minnesota’s new design, it was not directly approved by voters or lawmakers; instead, it became official automatically on May 11, 2024 under provisions set out in enabling legislation.
Since then, some residents and city leaders have resisted adopting the new design. Cities including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights continue flying the previous version on public property because current law does not require them to display only the updated flag.
“It’s really mind-boggling that we’ve gotten to this point and it’s an indictment of how Democrats operated with full control of the Capitol and continue operating,” Dotseth said. “Instead of uniting the people of our state by working to make life more affordable and cracking down on fraud, they have driven us to the point of two state flags. It is scary to think about what would happen to Minnesota under another Democrat trifecta.” In addition to opposition from House Republicans resulting in a tied chamber vote, Dotseth said procedural hurdles remain since this bill was introduced after legislative deadlines had passed and currently lacks a Senate companion.
