ST PAUL, MINN – A bill circulating through the Minnesota House would give a one-time appropriation to a service dog training facility in memory of the slain Minnesota House Speaker Emerita.
House File 3939, authored by several House members, would provide a one-time $200,000 appropriation to Helping Paws in memory of Melissa Hortman. The funding would help breed, train and place service or facility dogs with ‘individuals who have physical disabilities; veterans and first responders living with service-related post-traumatic stress disorder’ and ‘and professionals in courthouse, educational, and mental health settings.’
Hortman was assassinated in June 2025 along with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert.
