H-0801.1

HOUSE BILL 1448

ByRepresentatives Maycumber, Chapman, Lovick, Gildon, Reeves, Volz, Steele, Kilduff, Mosbrucker, Pettigrew, Boehnke, McCaslin, Macri, Irwin, Corry, Klippert, MacEwen, Riccelli, Eslick, Leavitt, Dye, Ryu, Smith, Stokesbary, Chambers, DeBolt, Slatter, Jenkin, Barkis, Cody, Schmick, Kretz, Tharinger, Van Werven, Orwall, Sells, Sutherland, Stanford, Ormsby, and Jinkins

AN ACT Relating to creating the veterans service officer program; and adding new sections to chapter 43.60A RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER PROGRAM.(1) There is created in the department the veterans service officer program. The purpose of the veterans service officer program is to provide funding to underserved eligible counties to establish a veterans service officer within the county. "Eligible counties," for the purposes of this section, means counties with a population of one hundred thousand or less.

(2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated in the veterans service officer fund under section 2 of this act for the specific purposes provided in this section, the department must:

(a) Establish a process to educate local governments, veterans, and those still serving in the national guard or armed forces reserve of the veterans service officer program;

(b) Develop partnerships with local governments to assist in establishing local veterans service officers in eligible counties who elect to have a veterans service officer; and

(c) Provide funding to support eligible counties in establishing local accredited veterans service officers. Funding is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

(3) The application process for the veterans service officer program must be prescribed as to manner and form by the department.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER FUND.(1) There is created in the custody of the state treasurer an account to be known as the veterans service officer fund. Revenues to the fund consist of appropriations by the legislature, private contributions, and all other sources deposited in the fund.

(2) Expenditures from the fund may only be used for the purposes of the veterans service officer program under section 1 of this act, including administrative expenses. Only the director, or the director's designee, may authorize expenditures. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

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