November 26 – ST. PAUL – State Rep. Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, was named the next Republican chairman of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Division on Monday evening.
Rep. Bliss was recently re-elected to serve his fourth term representing House District 2B, which includes all or parts of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca and Mahnomen counties, after defeating Michael Reyes 14,372 to 8,168 in the November 5 general election. election.
Bliss was first elected to represent District 2B
in the Minnesota House in 2022, after serving in 5A since 2016 prior to redistricting.
“Providing support and services to veterans and their families has been a priority of mine since day one,” Bliss said in a news release. “Supporting the brave men and women who 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 as chair of this committee and will begin meeting with veterans groups to ensure I have their priorities top of mind as we begin the term in January.”
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 during his tenure as a state representative and held the position of vice chair in 2017-2018. 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 funding for its construction
new veterans home in Bemidji
and has played a key role in passing bills to support veterans by reducing predatory lending, encouraging cities to become Purple Heart entities, providing counseling and housing for those transitioning to civilian life, and helping of those struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The 2025 legislative session begins on January 14.
