House File 55 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  BAILEY


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act concerning veterans affairs by establishing a county
  2    commissions of veteran affairs grant program, requiring the
  3    development of an internet website to assist veterans, and
  4    making an appropriation.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 TLSB 1201YH 83
  7 ec/nh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  35B.14A  COUNTY COMMISSIONS OF
  1  2 VETERAN AFFAIRS GRANT PROGRAM == APPROPRIATION.
  1  3    1.  A county commissions of veteran affairs grant program
  1  4 is created under the control of the department of veterans
  1  5 affairs to provide assistance to county commissions in serving
  1  6 the needs of veterans.
  1  7    2.  The department shall establish a grant application
  1  8 process and shall require each county applying for a grant to
  1  9 submit a plan for utilizing the grant to improve outreach
  1 10 services for veterans.  The maximum grant to be awarded to a
  1 11 county shall be five thousand dollars and may only be awarded
  1 12 to a county once every three years.  Grants awarded to a
  1 13 county shall be used to acquire technology to enhance outreach
  1 14 services for veterans.
  1 15    3.  Beginning with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009,
  1 16 there is appropriated annually from the general fund of the
  1 17 state to the department of veterans affairs one hundred fifty
  1 18 thousand dollars for distribution to counties as grants
  1 19 pursuant to the requirements of this section.  Notwithstanding
  1 20 section 8.33, moneys appropriated in this section that remain
  1 21 unencumbered or unobligated at the close of the fiscal year
  1 22 shall not revert to the fund from which appropriated but shall
  1 23 be credited to the veterans trust fund created in section
  1 24 35A.13.
  1 25    Sec. 2.  DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS == WEBSITE
  1 26 DEVELOPMENT == VETERAN TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.  The department
  1 27 of veterans affairs shall establish and develop an internet
  1 28 website by January 1, 2010, to provide confidential assistance
  1 29 for Iowa veterans as they transition back to civilian life
  1 30 after serving in the military.  The goal of the services
  1 31 provided through the website is to help service members and
  1 32 their families deal with the emotional and psychological
  1 33 challenges they may be facing upon return from service.
  1 34                           EXPLANATION
  1 35    This bill concerns efforts to provide outreach services to
  2  1 veterans.
  2  2    The bill creates the county commissions of veteran affairs
  2  3 grant program in the department of veterans affairs.  The bill
  2  4 appropriates $150,000 each fiscal year to the department for
  2  5 the awarding of grants to counties for use in acquiring
  2  6 technology to enhance outreach services to veterans.  The bill
  2  7 provides that the maximum grant to a county in a fiscal year
  2  8 is $5,000 and a county may receive a grant only once every
  2  9 three years.  Moneys appropriated but not expended for the
  2 10 grant program shall be credited to the veterans trust fund.
  2 11    The bill also requires the department of veterans affairs
  2 12 to establish an internet website by January 1, 2010, to
  2 13 provide confidential assistance for Iowa veterans as they
  2 14 transition back to civilian life after serving in the
  2 15 military.
  2 16 LSB 1201YH 83
  2 17 ec/nh/8.1