HOUSE BILL No. 6403

 

 

September 27, 2018, Introduced by Rep. Wentworth and referred to the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs.

 

     A bill to amend 1953 PA 192, entitled

 

"An act to create a county department of veterans' affairs in

certain counties, and to prescribe its powers and duties; to create

the county veteran service fund and to provide for contributions to

and expenditures from that fund; and to transfer the powers and

duties of the soldiers' relief commission in those counties,"

 

by amending section 3a (MCL 35.623a), as added by 2018 PA 210.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3a. (1) The county veteran service fund is created within

 

the state treasury.

 

     (2) The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from

 

any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall

 

direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit

 

to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments.

 

     (3) Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall

 

remain in the fund and shall not lapse to the general fund.

     (4) The Michigan veterans affairs agency shall be the

 

administrator of the fund for auditing purposes.

 

     (5) The Michigan veterans affairs agency shall create and

 

operate a grant program that provides grants to counties for county

 

veteran service operations. The Michigan veterans affairs agency

 

shall make grants from the fund, upon appropriation, to each county

 

department of veterans' affairs that meets the conditions listed in

 

subsection (7) for the sole use of the county's veteran service

 

operations. The total disbursement for each grant shall be

 

determined by combining the following amounts:

 

     (a) A base amount of $25,000.00.

 

     (b) A per capita amount according to the number of veterans

 

residing in each county. The amount in this subdivision shall be

 

determined by dividing the amount remaining in the fund after

 

accounting for all disbursements under subdivision (a) by the total

 

number of veterans residing in this state and multiplying the

 

resulting dollar amount by the number of veterans residing in the

 

county receiving the grant. Population figures for veterans

 

residing in this state and in each county of this state shall be

 

obtained from the most recent Geographic Distribution of VA

 

Expenditures (GDX) Report published by the United States Department

 

of Veterans Affairs.

 

     (6) If the amount remaining in the fund after accounting for

 

all disbursements under subsection (5)(a) is less than the amount

 

obtained by multiplying $1,000.00 by the number of counties

 

receiving grants, the Michigan veterans affairs agency shall not

 

perform a calculation under subsection (5)(b) and shall not

disburse the portion of grant funds described under that

 

subsection.

 

     (7) To be eligible for receiving a grant under subsection (5),

 

within 1 year of the effective date of the amendatory act that

 

added this section, and annually after that date, a county

 

department of veterans' affairs must satisfy all of the following

 

as certified in a form and manner prescribed by the Michigan

 

veterans affairs agency:

 

     (a) Maintain a minimum level of county funding for veteran

 

service operations equal to the level of county funding for veteran

 

service operations for the fiscal year preceding the effective date

 

of the amendatory act that added this section.

 

     (b) Establish remote access to the United States Department of

 

Veterans Affairs computing systems and require county veteran

 

service officers to obtain a PIV card.

 

     (c) Submit quarterly reports to the Michigan veterans affairs

 

agency in accordance with the reporting requirements determined by

 

that agency.

 

     (d) Provide no less than 20 hours per week toward veteran

 

service operations.

 

     (e) Submit financial reports to the Michigan veterans affairs

 

agency on a regular basis, as determined by that agency,

 

demonstrating that the county department of veterans' affairs

 

expended the grant funds received under subsection (5) directly and

 

solely on veteran service operations during the period of the

 

report. If the Michigan veterans affairs agency determines, by

 

audit or otherwise, that a county department of veterans' affairs

expended the grant funds received under subsection (5) for purposes

 

other than veteran service operations, the Michigan veterans

 

affairs agency shall reduce the grant disbursement provided to the

 

county department of veterans' affairs in the succeeding fiscal

 

year by an amount equal to the total of all amounts improperly

 

expended.

 

     (8) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Accredited veteran service officer" means an individual

 

who has met the qualifications for accreditation under 38 USC 5904

 

and 38 CFR 14.629.

 

     (b) "County veteran service fund" or "fund" means the fund

 

created in subsection (1).

 

     (c) "PIV card" means a personal identity verification card

 

issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

 

     (d) "Veteran service operations" means assistance and

 

programming to meet the needs of veterans in this state. Veteran

 

service operations include, but are not limited to, providing

 

advice, advocacy, and assistance to veterans, servicemembers,

 

dependents, or survivors by an accredited veteran service officer

 

to obtain United States Department of Veterans Affairs health,

 

financial, or memorial benefits for which they are eligible.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.