Minnesota State Representative Paul Torkelson said on Apr. 30 that a bill introduced by House Democrats would unfairly penalize cities and counties that continue to fly the previous version of the state flag instead of adopting the new design from 2024.
The proposed legislation would reduce state funding by ten percent for any city or county that does not recognize the new flag, according to details released in Torkelson’s statement. The issue has become significant as several local governments have chosen to keep flying the older version of the Minnesota state flag after receiving feedback from their residents.
Torkelson said, “The selection process for the current flag was poorly handled. Not all sides were considered during the committee selection process, and the public could not weigh in on what they thought the flag should look like.” He also noted that under current law, Minnesota does not require local governments to fly any official state flag.
In 2023, Democrats who controlled both chambers established a thirteen-member commission tasked with redesigning Minnesota’s state flag and seal. The commission introduced new designs for both symbols; however, these designs were never formally approved by voters or through legislative action. Instead, according to Torkelson’s statement, “the law that created the commission specified that its final flag selection would automatically take effect as the official state flag.”
Recently, several city councils across rural areas and metropolitan regions have voted to continue displaying the 1983 version of Minnesota’s state flag on municipal property after hearing input from residents. Other communities outside major urban centers reportedly chose not to switch flags without making formal announcements.
