SENATE BILL REPORT

2SHB 2040

As Reported by Senate Committee On:

Commerce & Labor, March 25, 2015

Title: An act relating to increasing employment for veterans.

Brief Description: Initiating a campaign to increase veteran employment.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives McCabe, Caldier, Senn, Harris, McBride, Dent, Johnson, Sells, Kagi, Kilduff and Wilson).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/05/15, 97-0.

Committee Activity: Commerce & Labor: 3/20/15, 3/25/15 [DP].

Majority Report: Do pass.

Signed by Senators Baumgartner, Chair; Braun, Vice Chair; Hasegawa, Ranking Minority Member; Conway, Keiser, King and Warnick.

Staff: Mac Nicholson (786-7445)

Background: The Washington State Military Transition Council (WSMTC) was created by executive order in May 2013. The WSMTC is directed to support collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies and private and nonprofit organizations that share responsibility for providing transition assistance to service members and their families. The Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs serves as Chair of the Council, which also includes the Commissioner of the Employment Security Department (ESD), the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, the Adjutant General of the Washington Military Department, the Executive Director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and the Executive Director of Washington Student Achievement Council.

Veterans' advisory boards advise county legislative authorities of the needs of local indigent veterans, resources available to local indigent veterans, and programs that could benefit the needs of the local indigent veterans and their families. State law requires each county to establish a veterans' advisory board.

Associate development organizations (ADOs) are local economic development nonprofit corporations that serve as a point of contact for local economic development activities, supporting new business development and recruitment, and coordinating business retention and expansion activities within their area. ADOs are also known as economic development councils, and each county in Washington has a designated ADO that contracts with the Department of Commerce who provides technical and financial support for ADO activities.

Summary of Bill: The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Employment Security Department, and the Department of Commerce must consult local chambers of commerce, associate development organizations, and businesses to initiate a demonstration campaign to increase veteran employment.

The campaign may include partnerships with chambers of commerce that result in business owners sharing information on the number of veterans employed with the chambers who then provide this information to DVA.

Participants in the campaign are encouraged to work with the WSMTC and with county veterans' advisory boards.

Existing resources are used to fund the campaign.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: This bill will help veterans. When businesses have openings, they should look to hire veterans first. As military members leave service, there is a need to make sure there are jobs waiting for them.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Representative McCabe, prime sponsor; Roger Flygare, Assn. of WA Generals, VFW Post 1741; Heidi Audette, WA State DVA; Joanie Deutsch, WA Retail Assn.

Persons Signed in to Testify But Not Testifying: No one.