Overview
- Inver Grove Heights, which voted 3–2 on Monday after a packed hearing, will swap in the 1983 flag on six city poles for about $500–$600 over the next four to eight weeks.
- HF 5077 from Rep. Mike Freiberg would cut a city or county’s state aid by 10% the year after it is found flying a nonofficial flag, with enforcement beginning in 2027.
- The measure has been referred to the House Taxes Committee, and Speaker Lisa Demuth said it has no path forward this session.
- Cities restoring the old flag in recent months include Elk River following its April 20 vote, along with Champlin, Zumbrota, North Branch, Detroit Lakes, Pine Island, Crosslake, Babbitt, Wadena, and Plainview, and state law lets councils decide which flag to fly.
- The old flag was retired in May 2024 due to imagery tied to Native displacement after a commission sifted more than 2,000 designs and 20,000 comments, while opponents call the process flawed or say the new design resembles Somalia’s.