House 2B Rep. Matt Bliss appointed co-chair of House Veterans and Military Affairs

By Pioneer Staff Report

November 26, 2024 at 12:45 PM

ST. PAUL 鈥� State Representative Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, was appointed Monday evening to serve as the next Republican Chair of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division.

Due to the 67-67 split in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the first tie since 1979, by a Republican and a Democrat. This means Bliss will serve alongside Rep. Jay Xiong, DFL-St. Paul.

Rep. Bliss was recently reelected to serve his fourth term representing House District 2B, which includes all or portions of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca and Mahnomen Counties, after defeating Michael Reyes 14,372 to 8,168 in the Nov. 5 general election.

Bliss was first elected to represent District 2B in the Minnesota House in 2022, after previously serving in 5A since 2016 prior to redistricting.

鈥淧roviding support and services to veterans and their families has been a priority of mine from day one,鈥� Bliss said in a release. 鈥淪upporting the brave men and women who have put on the uniform in defense of our nation is something that has broad bipartisan support here in St. Paul. I look forward to my work chairing this committee and will begin meeting with veterans groups to make sure I have their priorities top of mind when we start the legislative session in January.鈥�

Bliss grew up on a farm and later served in the U.S. Navy where he received training in communications and electronics. Bliss has served on veterans committees throughout his tenure as a state representative and held the vice chair post in 2017-18. He currently owns Bliss Point Resort on Cass Lake and has worked as an IT director for the Red Lake Nation.

According to the release, he was instrumental in obtaining funds to construct the new veterans home in Bemidji and has played key roles in the passage of bills supporting veterans by curbing predatory lending, encouraging cities to become Purple Heart entities, providing counseling and homes to those transitioning to civilian life, and helping those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 2025 legislative session begins on Jan. 14.

By Pioneer Staff Report

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