LRB-1045/P1
JAM:kms&amn
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Stinebrink, BB0134 - County and tribal veterans service office grants
For 2023-2025 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
veterans
Veterans service officer grants
This bill increases the dollar amount of grants made to counties with a veterans service officer.
Under current law, DVA is required to annually award a grant to counties that employ a county veterans service officer chosen from a list of candidates who have completed a particular civil service examination or who were appointed under a certain civil service competitive examination procedure. The grants are awarded for the purpose of improving a county's services to veterans. The amount of each grant is $9,350 for a county with a population of less than 20,000, $11,000 for a county with a population of 20,000 to 45,499, $12,650 for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and $14,300 for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. Counties that employ a part-time county veterans service officer are eligible to receive an annual grant not exceeding $550. DVA may also make annual grants not to exceed $16,500 to the governing bodies of federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands if the tribal governing body appoints a tribal veterans service officer and enters into an agreement with DVA regarding the creation, goals, and objectives of the tribal veterans service officer position.
This bill doubles the dollar amount of the grants annually awarded to counties and tribal governing bodies and repeals the restriction that a county employing a part-time county veterans services officer receive a grant not to exceed $550.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section
1. 45.82 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.82 (2) The department of veterans affairs shall award a grant annually to a county that meets the standards developed under this section if the county executive, administrator, or administrative coordinator certifies to the department that it employs a county veterans service officer who, if chosen after April 15, 2015, is chosen from a list of candidates who have taken a civil service examination for the position of county veterans service officer developed and administered by the bureau of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration, or is appointed under a civil service competitive examination procedure under s. 59.52 (8) or ch. 63. The grant shall be $9,350 $18,700 for a county with a population of less than 20,000, $11,000 $22,000 for a county with a population of 20,000 to 45,499, $12,650 $25,300 for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and $14,300 $28,600 for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. The department of veterans affairs shall use the most recent Wisconsin official population estimates prepared by the demographic services center when making grants under this subsection.
Section
2. 45.82 (3) of the statutes is repealed.
Section
3. 45.82 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:
45.82 (4) The department shall provide grants to the governing bodies of federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (2) (km) or (vu) if that governing body enters into an agreement with the department regarding the creation, goals, and objectives of a tribal veterans service officer, appoints a veteran to act as a tribal veterans service officer, and gives that veteran duties similar to the duties described in s. 45.80 (5), except that the veteran shall report to the governing body of the tribe or band. The department may make annual grants in an amount not to exceed $16,500 $33,000 per grant under this subsection and shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection.
(End)
