Brief Description: Creating a list of and decal for veteran-owned businesses.

Sponsors: Senators Kilmer, Swecker, Hobbs, Shin, Kohl-Welles, Regala, Marr, Hatfield, Murray, Weinstein, Rockefeller, Keiser, Sheldon, McAuliffe, Clements, Kauffman, Franklin, Eide, Jacobsen, Rasmussen and Honeyford.

Senate Committee on Government Operations & Elections
House Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs

Background: The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) provides a range of services to the state's 670,000 veterans and their families. The Department provides benefits counseling to help veterans access assistance programs available to them, including education assistance and low-interest home loans. The Department also operates three veterans homes.

Summary: The Department is directed to create and maintain a list of veteran-owned businesses and to post the list on the Department's public web site. The Department must distribute decals to list-members that identify their businesses as veteran-owned.

To be eligible, a business must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by a veteran as defined in RCW 41.04.007. Businesses may apply to the Department to be included on the list.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      48   0
House      94   0

Effective:   July 22, 2007