COUNTY VETERAN SERVICE FUND; REVISE                                              H.B. 6403 (H-1):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                      REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 6403 (Substitute H-1 as reported without amendment)

Sponsor:  Representative Jason Wentworth

House Committee:  Military and Veterans Affairs

Senate Committee:  Veterans, Military Affairs and Homeland Security

CONTENT

The bill would amend Public Act 192 of 1953, which governs the County Veteran Service Fund, to do the following:

-- Amend references to "county department of veterans' affairs" to refer to "county".

-- Require the base amount of grant funding to be provided in a lump sum by December 31 of each year, and require the initial base amount to be provided by January 31, 2019.

-- Revise the definition of "veteran service operations".

MCL 35.623a                                                            Legislative Analyst:  Tyler VanHuyse

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government, but would make some adjustments that would have an impact on county governments in regard to the County Veteran Service Fund grants to counties, a program funded at $2.1 million for fiscal year 2018-19 under Public Act (PA) 207 of 2018. While no funds have yet been disbursed from the Fund, the bill would remove a requirement that for a county to receive a grant, it would have to have established a formal "department of veterans' affairs." Though nearly all counties have offices dedicated to assisting veterans, many do not have an official department for those purposes. Thus, the bill would open up eligibility for a $25,000 base grant, plus an additional amount based on per capita number of veterans residing in a county, to some counties not already eligible under the Act.

The bill also would designate a time frame for distribution of the $25,000 base grant, which would be not later than December 31 of each year, with the initial base grant to be provided by January 31, 2019. It also should be noted that this bill would not appropriate funds for distribution of the grants for county veteran service operations. For continued disbursement of these grants beyond the $2.1 million appropriated in PA 207, additional appropriations would be required.

Date Completed:  12-7-18                                                     Fiscal Analyst:  Bruce Baker

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.