State Rep. Shane Mekeland, R-Clear Lake, said on April 29 he opposes 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 continue flying the traditional 1983 flag rather than adopt the new design selected by a commission in 2023. The measure would cut local government aid by ten percent for entities displaying any flag other than the one made official in May 2024.
Mekeland said local government aid is an important source of funding for communities and supports essential services such as police and fire departments. He described the financial penalty as significant for those not complying with the requirement. “House Democrats are literally willing to cut state funding that supports essential services if cities and counties won’t fly a certain flag,” Mekeland said. “And here I thought they were against authoritarian government. I also have First Amendment issues with this bill, even if it is government on government retaliation. Minnesotans should be able to fly the old Minnesota flag if that’s what they want to do. What’s next? Are they going to try to ban people from flying the old state flag on private property?”
Mekeland also pointed out that while a commission chose the new design, it was not directly approved by voters or lawmakers; instead, legislation made its adoption automatic starting May 11, 2024.
Since then, some residents and municipalities—including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights—have continued using the former flag on public property. Current law does not require local governments to display only the official version.
“This bill won’t stop the old state flag from being flown,” Mekeland said. “In fact, I bet the opposite will happen and it will only encourage even more Minnesotans to display the old flag. I’m already seeing more of the old Minnesota flags around the area than I recall before the botched redesign.”
Apart from opposition among House Republicans resulting in a tied vote in committee, Mekeland said procedural obstacles remain because H.F. 5077 was introduced after legislative deadlines had passed and does not yet have a companion measure in the Senate.
