ST. PAUL -- With a farm and family to watch over, Jim Vickerman stayed behind decades ago when his brother headed off to the military.
Vickerman, now a Minnesota state senator, has watched as others close to him served. Over the years, the Tracy Democrat said he has continued to swell with admiration and indebtedness for America's military veterans.
"I missed something," he said of the military service that never fell upon him. "Since then, I've been trying to do everything I possibly can to help them."
In his 21 years in the Legislature, Vickerman has been an ardent supporter of veterans' causes, and keeps an eagle's eye out for opportunities where lawmakers could make a difference, such as pushing a $75 million military and veterans' package this year.
He was concerned when a Prior Lake veteran committed suicide in January after returning from Iraq.
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"That shouldn't have happened," said Vickerman, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee.
The veteran, Jonathan Schulze, reportedly contacted a Veterans Affairs center in St. Cloud claiming to be suicidal. According to media reports, he later was told by the veterans' center to take a number. Four days later, Schulze was dead.
"They shouldn't be on a waiting list," Vickerman said.
To counter problems like that, the senator points to a bill that would increase grants available to county Veterans Service officers by $2.8 million. Funds in the bill would center on outreach efforts and reintegration of combat veterans.
The legislation is part of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's beefy veterans' package, championed in the Senate by Vickerman.
But as legislators await the actual amount of money they'll have to spend this biennium, it's looking less likely the package will receive full funding.
Vickerman said he suspects it will fall short, although it's not stopping him from soldiering on for the total amount.
The package totals $75 million, but Vickerman said only about half of that amount is realistic at this point.
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Though hesitant to deliver fiscal predictions, other key legislators agreed that veterans' funding this legislative session won't rise to its sponsors' original expectations.
Instead, lawmakers may shape portions of the package to address the immediate needs of recent combat veterans and National Guard members due home later this year, said Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook.
He said his Senate Tax Committee will take up a bill in the veterans' package next week. That legislation calls for a full state income tax exemption for military pay and pensions.
But since abating the taxes would mean replacing them with $16.5 million in state funds, Bakk said the scope of the legislation should be narrowed.
To soften the blow, the tax breaks also could be phased in, said Rep. Lyle Koenen, DFL-Clara City, who chairs the House veterans' affairs committee.
Vickerman said he knows the tax bill and the package's biggest component -- a $30 million Minnesota GI Bill -- will undergo the greatest scrutiny.
Under Pawlenty's proposal, the GI Bill would supplement the federal version by providing up to $10,000 in higher education funding for eligible veterans or dependents.
Koenen, comparing the bill to similar efforts in Wisconsin, said he doubts the funds should total the estimated $30 million.
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. Richard Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, chairman of the Senate finance committee, agreed that $30 million may be on the high side.
"I'm not sure all the money is needed," he said.
Still, Vickerman pledged victory. Even if each portion of the package doesn't see full funding, he's confident each part will survive.
"I will get something for every one of these" bills, he said.
For him, it's not a matter of politics. Or glory.
For Vickerman, the motivation is borne of responsibility.
"This is not the governor's bill. It's not my bill. It's our bill. I don't play any politics when it comes to veterans," he said.
