AB210,112,1412
3. Was discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. armed forces under
13honorable conditions if the person and spouse or dependent child were residents of
14this state at the time of the spouse's or dependent child's death.
AB210,112,2015
(d) A person who was a resident of this state at the time of his or her entry or
16reentry into service in any national guard or a reserve component of the U.S. armed
17forces or who was a resident of this state for at least 12 consecutive months
18immediately preceding his or her death, and the person's spouse, surviving spouse,
19and dependent children, if the person is eligible for burial in a national cemetery
20under
38 USC 2402.
AB210,112,2321
(e) A person who was discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. armed
22forces under honorable conditions and who was a resident of this state for at least
2312 consecutive months after entering or reentering service on active duty.
AB210,113,2
24(3) Fees and costs. The department may charge a fee for burials under this
25section and may promulgate rules for the assessment of any fee. The cost of
1preparing the grave and the erection of a marker for a person described under sub.
2(2) (a), (b), (d), or (e) shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (gk).
AB210,113,8
3(4) Application. Application for burial shall be made to the department. The
4surviving spouse of the person described under sub. (2) (a), (b), (d), or (e), if that
5person is interred at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, shall have
6the privilege of selecting a plot next to that person if available. The department shall
7hold the plot for the surviving spouse for a period of one year from the date of granting
8the privilege, but may extend the hold, on request, for additional one-year periods.
AB210,113,14
9(5) Expenses. Expenses incident to the burial under this section shall be paid
10from the estate of the decedent, except that if there is no estate or the estate is
11insufficient, the expense of burial, or necessary part of the burial, shall be paid from
12the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (gk) for members of veterans homes, and the
13amount expended for those expenses shall not exceed the amount established for
14funeral and burial expenses under s. 49.785 (1) (b).
AB210,113,17
1545.62 Burial places compiled. (1) The department may compile a record
16of veteran's burial places located within the state that may, so far as practicable,
17indicate all of the following information:
AB210,113,1818
(a) The deceased veteran's name.
AB210,113,1919
(b) The service in which the deceased veteran was engaged.
AB210,113,2020
(c) The appropriate designation of the deceased veteran's armed forces unit.
AB210,113,2121
(d) The deceased veteran's rank and period of service.
AB210,113,2322
(e) The name and location of the cemetery or other place in which the deceased
23veteran's body is interred.
AB210,113,2524
(f) The location of the deceased veteran's grave in the cemetery or other place
25of interment.
AB210,114,2
1(g) The character of the headstone or other marker, if any, at the deceased
2veteran's grave.
AB210,114,9
3(2) The department may prepare blank forms for the transmission to the
4department of the information required for the record under sub. (1). The
5department may distribute the forms to county veterans service officers. A county
6veterans service officer within whose county any cemetery or other burial place is
7located in which deceased veteran's bodies are interred shall submit the facts
8required for the record under sub. (1) to the department on the forms provided by the
9department, if so requested by the department.
AB210,114,1010
sUbchapter VII
AB210,114,18
1245.70 Veterans memorials. (1) Persian Gulf memorial. From the
13appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (d), the department shall provide funding to the
14Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans Memorial Project, Inc., for the construction of a
15memorial for the veterans of the Persian Gulf War. The memorial shall be
16constructed at the veterans memorial site located at the Highground in Clark
17County. The department may expend up to $60,000 for the memorial for the veterans
18of the Persian Gulf War.
AB210,114,23
19(2) Camp Randall memorial. (a) The board may approve, recommend, and veto
20any proposed plans, modifications, and changes or policies with respect to
21established state memorials, including the Camp Randall Memorial Park, Madison,
22Wisconsin, as described in par. (c), and any future veterans state memorials, and
23recommend the creation and establishment of veterans state memorials.
AB210,115,224
(b) No structures, other than memorials approved by the board, and no walks,
25roads, or subterranean footings may be placed or erected upon Camp Randall
1Memorial Park unless authorized by the legislature; nor shall the park be used for
2any purpose other than a memorial park.
AB210,115,113
(c) Camp Randall Memorial Park, Madison, Wisconsin, is established and
4described as follows: beginning on the west line of Randall Avenue 96.6 feet north
5of the center line of Dayton Street extended; thence west at right angles to Randall
6Avenue 370 feet; thence south parallel to Randall Avenue 722 feet; thence west at
7right angles to Randall Avenue 235 feet; thence south parallel to Randall Avenue 205
8feet to the north line of Monroe Street; thence north 50 degrees 14 minutes east along
9the north line of Monroe Street approximately 780 feet to the west line of Randall
10Avenue; thence north along the west line of Randall Avenue 429 feet to the place of
11beginning.
AB210,115,14
1245.71 Catalog of memorials. The department shall prepare a catalog of
13memorials, describing each memorial and giving its location and condition. The
14department shall periodically update that catalog.
AB210,115,16
1545.72 County and municipal memorials.
(1) In this section and s. 45.73,
16"local unit of government" means a city, village, town, or county.
AB210,115,25
17(2) Any local unit of government may by gift, purchase, contract, or
18condemnation acquire property, real or personal, for the purpose of providing,
19furnishing, constructing, erecting, repairing, maintaining, or conducting a suitable
20memorial to the memory of former residents thereof who lost their lives in the
21military or naval service of the state or of the United States, or to commemorate and
22honor the deeds of persons, residents thereof, or of the state or United States, who
23served the nation in any war, or other persons who rendered great state or national
24service, or to the memory of any president of the United States, or for a combination
25of any those purposes, which are declared to be public purposes.
AB210,116,4
1(3) The local unit of government shall determine the character of the memorial,
2and without limitation because of enumeration, the memorial may comprise a public
3building, hospital, sanatorium, home for the aged or indigent, park, recreation
4facility, community forest, or other suitable object having a public purpose.
AB210,116,7
5(4) Any local unit of government may appropriate money and may levy a tax
6to acquire, pay for, construct, erect, furnish, equip, operate, repair, maintain, or
7reconstruct a suitable memorial for the purpose or purposes provided in this section.
AB210,116,11
8(5) Any local unit of government may authorize the use of any public property
9respectively of such city, village, town, or county as a site for a memorial, and any
10county may authorize its public property to be so used by any city, village, or town
11in the county.
AB210,116,17
12(6) Any local unit of government may by ordinance or contract provide for the
13management, control, or operation of any memorial. The local unit of government
14may enter into a written lease, for a term not exceeding 25 years, with any duly
15chartered and incorporated veterans organization established in the local unit of
16government. The lease shall include the provisions for the amount of rental and such
17conditions of public use as the local unit determines.
AB210,117,3
18(7) Any local unit of government may contract with or make an appropriation,
19or both, to any other local unit of government or to any nonprofit corporation without
20capital stock organized expressly for any of the purposes of this section or to any duly
21chartered and incorporated veterans organization established in the local unit of
22government, and for the purpose of raising funds for memorial purposes or
23contributions. The local unit of government may levy taxes upon the taxable
24property located in the local unit of government, or borrow money and issue bonds
25in the manner and under the regulations provided by ch. 67. The facilities of the
1memorial shall be available to the residents of the local unit of government making
2the appropriation to the extent that the governing body of the local unit of
3government may require.
AB210,117,6
445.73 Sites for veterans memorial halls. (1) Any local unit of government
5may donate to any organization specified in s. 70.11 (9) land upon which is to be
6erected a memorial hall to contain the memorial tablet specified in s. 70.11 (9).
AB210,117,15
7(2) The action of any local unit of government in granting veterans
8organizations or any other civic, patriotic, educational, or historical society rooms
9and space within public buildings for the establishment of memorial halls and
10museums, and occupancy thereof by its members, is authorized and confirmed. The
11local unit of government may permit the use and occupancy of the rooms and space
12for such terms and subject to such conditions and provisions as the local unit of
13government may impose. Any contract, lien, or agreement between the local unit of
14government and any organization now in force shall continue in force according to
15the terms of the contract, lien, or agreement.
AB210,117,20
1645.74 Memorial corporations organized under 1919 act. (1) Any
17commission or board of trustees that governs a corporation organized to construct a
18memorial under s. 45.057 (5), statutes of 1919 to 1943 (created by
chapter 598, laws
19of 1919, and repealed by
chapter 301, laws of 1945), shall have the following powers
20in addition to those it now has:
AB210,117,2221
(a) All powers vested in the members of the corporation by the articles of
22incorporation or bylaws, including the power to amend the articles of incorporation.
AB210,117,2423
(b) The powers set forth in s. 181.0302 and all other applicable provisions of ch.
24181.
AB210,118,3
1(c) The power to convey any property under its control to any municipality and
2lease it back under terms agreed upon by the commission or board of trustees and
3the municipality.
AB210,118,64
(d) The power to dissolve the corporation and dispose of the real and personal
5property of the corporation in a manner that it deems will best serve the purposes
6for which it was organized and the interests of the community.
AB210,118,15
7(2) The commission or board of trustees shall have a membership composed of
85 residents of the city, village, or town in which the memorial is located, one
9appointed by the common council, village board, or town board of the city, village, or
10town, and 4 by the circuit judge of the county in which the memorial is located. The
11commission or board may appoint 4 additional members who are residents of this
12state. The terms of all members shall be 5 years. In order that terms of members
13may expire at different times, not more than 2 members shall be appointed in any
14one year in addition to appointments made to fill vacancies occurring by resignation
15or death. Members shall hold office until their successors are appointed and qualify.
AB210,118,20
16(3) Notwithstanding the repeal of s. 45.057, 1943 stats., by
chapter 301, laws
17of 1945, the continuing existence of all commissions, boards, and corporations
18organized under s. 45.057 (5), statutes of 1919 to 1943, is affirmed, and the
19continuing operation of such commissions, boards, and corporations is ratified as to
20the past and authorized in the future.
AB210,118,25
2145.75 Memorials in populous counties.
(1) Any county having a population
22of 500,000 or more may establish and maintain a memorial or memorials in the
23county under s. 45.72 by agreement between the county board of the county and any
24nonprofit private corporation without capital stock organized under the laws of this
25state, except as provided in this section, expressly for any of the purposes of s. 45.72.
AB210,119,4
1(2) The board of directors of the corporation shall be designated as the
2"memorial board," and its members shall be called "trustees." The membership of
3the memorial board may include special members, who need not be members of the
4corporation.
AB210,119,7
5(3) The memorial board shall consist of 15 members, of whom 8 may be special
6members to be elected as provided in this section, and the remaining members shall
7be elected from the membership of the corporation.
AB210,119,9
8(4) Special members of the memorial board shall be elected by the county board
9of such county and consist of the following:
AB210,119,1010
(a) Four members from the county board.
AB210,119,1111
(b) Four members elected from among the residents of the county.
AB210,119,12
12(5) Terms of members of the memorial board shall be as follows:
AB210,119,1313
(a) For special members:
AB210,119,1714
1. Members elected from the county board shall be elected at the first meeting
15of the county board following each county board general election and their terms
16shall commence on that date. They shall hold office during their terms on the county
17board and until their successors are elected and qualified.
AB210,119,2018
2. Members elected from among the residents shall hold office for 4 years and
19until their successors are elected, except that the first 4 such members shall be
20chosen for 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively.
AB210,119,2221
3. Any vacancy in the special membership shall be filled by the county board
22for the unexpired term, and until a successor is elected and qualified.
AB210,120,223
(b) For elected members from the corporate membership: the terms of the
24trustees shall be for such numbers of years that those of an equal number, as nearly
1as may be, shall expire in 2, 3, and 4 years, and successive terms of 4 years each
2thereafter and until their successors are elected and qualified.
AB210,120,8
3(6) The articles of incorporation of the corporation shall provide originally or
4by amendment, in addition to other necessary provisions, and as permitted by this
5section, for the classification of the members of the corporation, for the election of
6trustees proportionately from and by those classifications, for the terms of the
7members of the corporation and for the officers, their duties, and the terms thereof
8to be elected from the membership.
AB210,120,14
9(7) The war memorial may be constructed upon any land ceded before July 15,
101953, by this state to any municipality in this state notwithstanding any restrictions,
11limitations, or conditions as to the nature of the use of any of the land contained in
12the legislative act, granting the land to the municipality, and notwithstanding the
13restrictions, limitations, or conditions incorporated in any subsequent conveyance
14of the lands by the municipality.
AB210,121,2
15(8) The war memorial may be constructed in any public park and the use of
16those park lands as a location for a war memorial shall not be considered inconsistent
17with the use of the same for park purposes. No war memorial shall be constructed
18in a public park until the park commission, general manager appointed under s.
1927.03 (2), or park board having jurisdiction of the park shall approve the
20construction. The county board of any county may authorize the construction of a
21war memorial at different intervals of time if the proposed memorial consists of more
22than one building or structure and any county board subsequently elected shall carry
23into effect any contract authorized by s. 45.72 entered into on behalf of the county
24for the construction or maintenance of the war memorial. The construction,
25maintenance, and operation of a war memorial in a county park shall be subject to
1the jurisdiction of the county board and no part of those costs shall be charged against
2the funds of the park commission, park system, or park board of the county.
AB210,121,33
sUbchapter VIII
AB210,121,44
local responsibilities
AB210,121,10
545.80 County veterans service officer.
(1) Election or appointment. (a)
6Except as provided under par. (b), the county board shall elect a county veterans
7service officer who shall be a Wisconsin resident who served on active duty under
8honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the
9U.S. armed forces and who meets at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.01 (12)
10(a) to (d) and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.02 (2).
AB210,121,1611
(b) Except as provided under par. (c), the county board may appoint assistant
12county veterans service officers who shall be Wisconsin residents who served on
13active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces
14incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and who meet at least one of the
15conditions listed in s. 45.01 (12) (a) to (d) and at least one of the conditions listed in
16s. 45.02 (2).
AB210,121,2317
(c) In counties with a county executive or county administrator, the county
18executive or county administrator shall appoint and supervise a county veterans
19service officer who shall have the qualifications prescribed under par. (a). The
20appointment is subject to confirmation by the county board unless the county board,
21by ordinance, elects to waive confirmation or unless the appointment is made under
22a civil service system competitive examination procedure established under s. 59.52
23(8) or ch. 63.
AB210,122,3
1(2) Term. A county veterans service officer elected under sub. (1) (a) shall serve
2until the first Monday in January of the 2nd year subsequent to the year of his or her
3election, and, if reelected, shall continue to serve unless removed under s. 17.10 (2).
AB210,122,6
4(3) Salary. The salary of the county veterans service officer shall be fixed by
5the county board prior to or at the time of the service officer's election and annually
6thereafter.
AB210,122,8
7(4) Milwaukee County. In counties having a population of 500,000 or more the
8officer shall be appointed subject to ss. 63.01 to 63.17.
AB210,122,9
9(5) Duties. The county veterans service officer shall do all of the following:
AB210,122,1310
(a) Advise persons living in the service officer's county who served in the U.S.
11armed forces regarding any benefits to which they may be entitled or any complaint
12or problem arising out of such service and render to them and their dependents all
13possible assistance.
AB210,122,1414
(b) Make such reports to the county board as the county board requires.
AB210,122,1615
(c) Cooperate with federal and state agencies that serve or grant aids or
16benefits to former military personnel and their dependents.
AB210,122,1817
(d) Furnish information about veterans burial places within the county as
18required by s. 45.62 (2).
AB210,122,2019
(e) Perform the duties prescribed by law, including those duties under pars. (a)
20to (d), separately and distinctly from any other county department.
AB210,122,22
21(6) Permitted activities. The county veterans service officer may do any of the
22following:
AB210,123,323
(a) Inform persons living in the service officer's county who are members of the
24national guard or of a reserve unit of the U.S. armed forces or dependents of those
25persons regarding potential benefits to which they may be or may become entitled
1and regarding all necessary military points of contact and general deployment
2information for activated and deployed members of the national guard or reserve
3units of the U.S. armed forces.
AB210,123,64
(b) Cooperate with federal and state agencies that serve or grant aids or
5benefits to members of the national guard or reserve units of the U.S. armed forces
6and their dependents.
AB210,123,9
7(7) Office space and assistants. (a) The county board shall provide the county
8veterans service officer with office space, clerical assistance, and any other needs
9that will enable the officer to perform the duties under sub. (5).
AB210,123,1710
(b) Except as provided under par. (c), the county board may appoint assistant
11county veterans service officers who shall be Wisconsin residents who served on
12active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces
13incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces for 2 consecutive years. An individual
14who is discharged for reasons of hardship or a service-connected disability or
15released due to a reduction in the U.S. armed forces or for the good of the service prior
16to the completion of the required period of service is eligible for appointment to the
17office, regardless of the actual time served.
AB210,123,2018
(c) In any county with a county executive or county administrator, the county
19veterans service officer may appoint assistant county veterans service officers who
20shall have the qualifications prescribed under par. (b).
AB210,124,2
21(8) Qualifications applicability. The qualifications necessary to be a county
22veterans service officer or assistant county veterans service officer under subs. (1)
23(a) and (7) (b) apply only to persons elected to serve as county veterans service officers
24or assistant county veterans service officers on or after June 1, 1996, and who have
1not served as county veterans service officers or assistant county veterans service
2officers before June 1, 1996.
AB210,124,7
345.81 County veterans service commission. (1) There is created in each
4county a county veterans service commission consisting of at least 3 residents of the
5county who are veterans appointed for staggered 3-year terms by the county
6executive or county board chairperson in a county that does not have a county
7executive.
AB210,124,17
8(2) The commission shall be organized by the election of one of their number
9as chairperson. The county executive or county board chairperson in a county that
10does not have a county executive after the expiration of the terms of those first
11appointed shall annually on or before the 2nd Monday in December appoint one
12person as a member of the commission for the term of 3 years. The county executive
13or county board chairperson shall require each member of the commission and the
14county veterans service officer to execute to the county an individual surety bond,
15with sufficient sureties to be approved by the county executive or county board
16chairperson, each bond to be in an amount equal to the tax levied in the current year
17for expenditure by the commission. Each bond shall be filed with the county clerk.
AB210,124,20
18(3) (a) Except as provided under sub. (4), the commission may furnish aid to
19any person described in s. 45.86 if the right of that person to aid is established to the
20commission's satisfaction.
AB210,124,2321
(b) The secretary of the commission shall maintain a list containing the name,
22place of residence, and amount of aid furnished to each person under par. (a), which
23shall be signed by the chairperson and secretary of the commission.
AB210,125,324
(c) The total disbursements made by the commission under this subsection may
25not exceed the amount collected from the tax levied, except when specifically
1authorized by the county board. The commission shall provide the county treasurer
2with sufficient information to deliver the specified aid to the person entitled to that
3aid.
AB210,125,74
(d) The commission may furnish aid in a different manner than by supplying
5money. The commission may request the county treasurer to pay a purveyor of
6services or commodities for the purchase of services or commodities, or the
7commission may furnish supplies, as it considers appropriate.
AB210,125,118
(e) The commission shall make a detailed report to the county board annually
9showing the amount expended under this subsection. The report may not include
10any personal identifying information regarding the persons that received aid under
11this subsection.
AB210,125,14
12(4) A county veterans service officer appointed under s. 45.80 (1) (b) or (4) shall
13have the administrative powers and duties prescribed for the county veterans service
14commission under sub. (2).
AB210,125,18
15(5) The county board shall allow the members of the commission a reasonable
16rate of compensation for services and actual expenses incurred in the performance
17of their duties to be determined under s. 59.22. The county board may provide for
18the employment of clerical assistance to the commission.
AB210,125,23
19(6) The county veterans service officer shall serve as executive secretary of the
20county veterans service commission and shall make or direct all necessary
21investigations to determine eligibility for aid under s. 45.86 when the commission so
22requests. The county service officer, in making an investigation, may use the
23facilities for investigating that are made available by the county board.
AB210,126,12
2445.82 Grants to counties and tribes for improvement of services. (1) 25Each county may annually apply to the department for a grant for the improvement
1of service to former military personnel of the county through the county veterans
2service office. A county may not allocate any portion of a grant for use by another
3county department nor may the county reduce funding to a county veterans service
4office based upon receipt of a grant. The county veterans service officer of any county
5applying for the grant shall enter into an agreement with the department. The
6agreement shall state the goals and objectives to be attained by the county veterans
7service office during the remainder of the year covered by the grant application. The
8department shall prepare the basic form of this agreement in consultation with the
9county veterans service officers association and provide a copy and an explanation
10of that agreement to each county veterans service officer. The department shall
11develop reasonable budget and operating standards to assure improved services, but
12full operating control of the county office shall be left to each county.
AB210,126,24
13(2) The department shall award a grant annually to a county that meets the
14standards developed under this section and employs a county veterans service officer
15who, if chosen after August 9, 1989, is chosen from a list of candidates who have
16taken a civil service examination for the position of county veterans service officer
17developed and administered by the division of merit recruitment and selection in the
18office of state employment relations, or is appointed under a civil service competitive
19examination procedure under s. 59.52 (8) or ch. 63. The grant shall be $8,500 for a
20county with a population of less than 20,000, $10,000 for a county with a population
21of 20,000 to 45,499, $11,500 for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and
22$13,000 for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. The department shall use
23the most recent Wisconsin official population estimates prepared by the
24demographic services center when making grants under this subsection.
AB210,127,2
1(3) Notwithstanding sub. (2), an eligible county with a part-time county
2veterans service officer shall be eligible for an annual grant not exceeding $500.
AB210,127,11
3(4) The department shall provide grants to the governing bodies of federally
4recognized American Indian tribes and bands from the appropriation under s. 20.485
5(2) (vz) if that governing body enters into an agreement with the department
6regarding the creation, goals, and objectives of a tribal veterans service officer,
7appoints a veteran to act as a tribal veterans service officer, and gives that veteran
8duties similar to the duties described in s. 45.80 (5), except that the veteran shall
9report to the governing body of the tribe or band. The department may make annual
10grants of up to $2,500 under this subsection and shall promulgate rules to implement
11this subsection.
AB210,127,17
1245.83 Transportation services grants to counties. (1) Annually, from the
13appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (s), the department shall award grants to counties
14that are not served by transportation services provided by the Wisconsin department
15of Disabled American Veterans to develop, maintain, and expand transportation
16services for veterans. The grants may be used to support multicounty cooperative
17transportation services.