Photo by Deb Gau The 1983 version of the Minnesota state flag flies outside the Lyon County Government Center in Marshall. The Lyon County Board hasn't taken any action regarding the state flag, but the county still has older flags in its inventory, said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg.

MARSHALL — A bill introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives would reduce state aid to cities and counties that display Minnesota’s old state flag. While the proposal is still in committee, it has drawn criticism from some area legislators.

In a legislative update this week, Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said the proposal was an overreach by Democratic legislators.

“This is the ultimate big-government bill that shows how out of touch some people are,” Swedzinski’s update said. “They go out and rally against perceived authoritarianism, then turn around and push authoritarian legislation with bills mandating what flag Minnesotans must fly, with financial punishments for not complying.”

The bill, House File 5077, authored by Mike Frieberg, D-Golden Valley, was introduced and referred to the House Taxes Committee on April 27. The proposal would cut state aid to cities and counties that use the “incorrect state flag” by 10%, starting with aid payable in 2027. Cities and counties that display a state flag would be required to use the design approved by the State Emblems Redesign Commission in 2023.

“(Local Government Aid) is a key source of state funding for local governments – helping communities pay for essential services such as police and fire departments – making this a significant financial penalty for noncompliance,” Swedzinski said.

Under current Minnesota laws, local governments are not required to display the state flag.

The introduction of the flag bill comes at a time when several Minnesota cities, including Champlin, Zumbrota, Elk River and Inver Grove Heights, have opted to continue flying the older Minnesota state flag design from 1983, Swedzinski said.

The Fairmont City Council also voted to continue flying the 1983 version of the state flag on city property, after getting feedback from local residents, the Fairmont Sentinel reported.

The 1983 version of the state flag currently flies outside the Lyon County Government Center in Marshall. However, it’s not because of any actions by county government, said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg.

“The topic has not been brought up by the county board yet,” Stomberg said Wednesday.

The 1983 version of the flag was being flown because the county still had an inventory of flags with the old design, he said.

At the same time, the new state flag design can also be seen on public property in the city of Marshall. One example is the 2023 state flag at the Veterans Memorial at Memorial Park, just a few blocks down Main Street from the Lyon County Government Center.

The state flag design that was adopted in 2023 was selected by the State Emblems Redesign Commission. The selection process that included accepting design submissions from the public, and reviewing thousands of public comments.

Both Swedzinski and Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska said they thought the selection process of the new state flag design was not handled well.

“Not all sides were considered during the committee selection process,” Torkelson told the New Ulm Journal earlier this week.

Torkelson said the newer state flag version would have been better accepted with “genuine input from folks across the state.”

“Most people weren’t asking for a new flag,” Swedzinski said in his legislative update. “And then neither the public nor the legislature had final say in the redesign.”