House Study Bill 49 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON CHAMBERS) A BILL FOR An Act relating to veterans records by requiring county 1 recorders to provide copies of certain records to the 2 department of veterans affairs and the county commission of 3 veteran affairs and by requiring the department of veterans 4 affairs to provide copies of certain discharge documents to 5 the appropriate county commission of veteran affairs. 6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 7 TLSB 1945YC (4) 84 aw/sc
H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 35A.5, Code 2011, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 14A. a. Provide a copy of the certificate 3 of release or discharge from active duty to the county 4 commission of veteran affairs for the county where the released 5 or discharged individual resides within thirty days of 6 receiving the certificate of release or discharge from active 7 duty from the applicable branch of service. 8 b. A certificate of release or discharge from active duty 9 that is received by the department shall be considered a 10 confidential record for purposes of chapter 22 and shall only 11 be made available pursuant to paragraph “a” , unless otherwise 12 authorized by law in connection with the department’s official 13 duties. The county commission of veteran affairs and its 14 employees or agents shall be subject to the same state and 15 federal confidentiality restrictions and requirements that are 16 imposed on the department. 17 Sec. 2. Section 331.608, subsection 6, paragraph e, Code 18 2011, is amended to read as follows: 19 e. When otherwise required by a department or agency of the 20 federal or state government or a political subdivision. The 21 recorder shall make these records available to the department 22 of veterans affairs and the county commission of veteran 23 affairs . For records recorded after January 1, 2001, the 24 recorder shall provide a copy of each such record to the county 25 commission of veteran affairs and to the department of veterans 26 affairs. Copies of records recorded after January 1, 2001, and 27 before the effective date of this Act shall be provided not 28 later than January 1, 2012. For records recorded on or after 29 the effective date of this Act, such copies shall be provided 30 within thirty days of recording. The department of veterans 31 affairs and its employees and the county commission of veteran 32 affairs and its employees shall be subject to the same state 33 and federal confidentiality restrictions and requirements that 34 are imposed on the recorder. 35 -1- LSB 1945YC (4) 84 aw/sc 1/ 2
H.F. _____ EXPLANATION 1 This bill relates to information sharing between the 2 department of veterans affairs and county commissions of 3 veteran affairs. 4 The bill requires that the department of veterans affairs 5 provide the appropriate county commission of veteran affairs 6 with a copy of the certificate of release or discharge from 7 active duty of any individual residing in that county. The 8 bill further requires that county commissions keep these 9 records confidential unless otherwise provided by law and 10 requires that county commission employees be subject to the 11 state and federal confidentiality restrictions imposed on the 12 department. 13 The bill also requires that the county recorder make certain 14 records available to the department and the county commission. 15 The bill requires that the recorder provide a copy of certain 16 records recorded after January 1, 2001, to the department and 17 to the county commission. The bill requires that records 18 recorded after January 1, 2001, and before the effective date 19 of the bill be provided by the recorder to the department and 20 the county commission by January 1, 2012. The bill further 21 requires that the recorder provide a copy of all such records 22 recorded after the effective date of the bill to the department 23 and the county commission within 30 days of recording. 24 -2- LSB 1945YC (4) 84 aw/sc 2/ 2