Regular Session 2023-2024 House Bill 2417 P.N. 3330

PRINTER'S NO. 3330

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

2417

Session of

2024

INTRODUCED BY BOROWSKI, McNEILL, GIRAL, GUENST, DELLOSO,

SANCHEZ, SCHLOSSBERG, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, BOYD AND HADDOCK,

JUNE 13, 2024

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY

PREPAREDNESS, JUNE 13, 2024

AN ACT

Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in the Adjutant General, further

providing for appointment of Adjutant General, deputies and

assistants and for general powers and duties of Adjutant

General; in State Veterans' Commission and Deputy Adjutant

General for Veterans' Affairs, further providing for State

Veterans' Commission, for Deputy Adjutant General for

Veterans' Affairs, for qualifications and status, for

specific duties and for accreditation; in veterans'

organizations, further providing for grants to veterans'

service officer programs; and making editorial changes.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Sections 901(a) and 902 introductory paragraph

and (12), Chapter 17 heading, section 1702(b)(1) and (2)

introductory paragraph, (c) and (e), Subchapter B heading of

Chapter 17 and sections 1711, 1712, 1731(c)(5)(i) and (d)

introductory paragraph and 9304(h) introductory paragraph and

(j) of Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are

amended to read:

§ 901. Appointment of Adjutant General, deputies and

assistants.

(a) Appointment.--The Governor shall appoint the Adjutant

General with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Adjutant

General may appoint a Deputy Adjutant General for Army and a

Deputy Adjutant General for Air, and such other Deputy

Secretaries, Deputy Adjutants General and Assistant Adjutants

General as in [his] the Adjutant General's discretion are needed

for the efficient functioning of the department. The positions

of Assistant Adjutant General, Army, and Assistant Adjutant

General, Air, in the grades of brigadier general or major

general, shall be authorized. Deputy Adjutants General and such

additional Assistant Adjutants General as may be required may

also have at least the rank of brigadier general in the

Pennsylvania National Guard or Pennsylvania Guard after

appointment.

* * *

§ 902. General powers and duties of Adjutant General.

The Adjutant General as head of the department is responsible

to the Commonwealth and to the Governor for the organization and

functioning of said department, and the performance and carrying

out of all the duties, powers and responsibilities given or

delegated. In addition [he] the Adjutant General is hereby

authorized and directed to:

* * *

(12) Appoint a Deputy [Adjutant General] Secretary for

Veterans' Affairs, who shall serve as the Director of the

Bureau for Veterans' Affairs.

* * *

CHAPTER 17

STATE VETERANS' COMMISSION

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AND DEPUTY [ADJUTANT GENERAL] SECRETARY

FOR VETERANS' AFFAIRS

§ 1702. State Veterans' Commission.

* * *

(b) Composition.--The commission shall be composed of:

(1) The Adjutant General, ex officio, or [his] a

designee.

(2) The State commander, commandant or head, or [his] a

designee, of each of the following named veterans'

organizations:

* * *

[chairman] chairperson and vice [chairman] chairperson at the

first meeting of the commission after October 1. The Deputy

[Adjutant General] Secretary for Veterans' Affairs shall serve

as the executive secretary to the commission.

* * *

(e) Meetings and quorum.--The commission shall meet upon the

call of the [chairman] chairperson or the Adjutant General. Nine

members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

* * *

SUBCHAPTER B

DEPUTY [ADJUTANT GENERAL] SECRETARY

FOR VETERANS' AFFAIRS

§ 1711. Qualifications and status.

(a) Deputy [Adjutants General] Secretary.--In addition to

such other Deputy Adjutants General as may be named in the

department, there shall be a Deputy [Adjutant General] Secretary

for Veterans' Affairs, who shall perform the duties under

section 1712 (relating to specific duties) and such other duties

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as the Adjutant General may assign.

[(b) Appointment.--The Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans'

Affairs shall be selected and appointed as other Deputy

Adjutants General are selected and appointed. He shall be a

veteran and an active member of at least one of the veterans'

organizations listed under section 1702(b) (relating to State

Veterans' Commission).]

(b) Appointment.--The Deputy Secretary for Veterans' Affairs

shall be selected and appointed by the Adjutant General. To be

eligible for appointment under this subsection, the individual

must:

(1) Be a veteran of the armed forces of the United

States, which shall include the National Guard of any state

or territory of the United States and other reserve

components of the United States military.

(2) Have demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the

Adjutant General, successful executive leadership in an

organization.

(3) Have attained the necessary educational requirements

to fulfill the requirements of the position as determined by

the Adjutant General.

(4) Have experience with services and benefits for

veterans or experience working in a nonprofit setting

providing outreach services or long-term care.

(5) Have any other qualifications as the Adjutant

General may deem necessary to fulfill the duties outlined in

section 1712 (relating to specific duties).

General] Secretary for Veterans' Affairs shall be as established

by law.

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[(d) Status.--The Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans'

Affairs shall be accorded all the rights, emoluments and

privileges, except pay and allowances, of a brigadier general in

the Pennsylvania Guard and shall be addressed as "General."]

§ 1712. Specific duties.

In addition to such other duties as may be provided by law or

as assigned by the Adjutant General, the Deputy [Adjutant

General] Secretary for Veterans' Affairs shall have the

following specific duties:

(1) To recommend to the Adjutant General and the

Governor, with the advice of the State Veterans' Commission,

new legislation and amendments to existing statutes

concerning veterans and their activities for consideration by

the General Assembly.

(2) To cooperate with all Federal and State departments

and agencies in the interest of veterans.

(3) To aid in filing and prosecuting claims of

Pennsylvania's veterans and their dependents under Federal or

State laws or regulations.

(4) To aid veterans in seeking employment or

reemployment after their honorable discharge from the armed

forces of the United States.

(5) To aid veterans requiring medical care in securing

hospitalization provided by a Federal or State medical or

care facility.

(6) To aid in the rehabilitation of injured, wounded or

compensable veterans in educational institutions or

vocational training institutions for which they may be

eligible by law.

(7) To cooperate with and advise the Department of

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Education with respect to vocational training programs for

veterans, particularly programs suited to casualties.

(8) To administer relief provided by the Commonwealth

for veterans and their dependents.

(9) To administer the distribution under the direction

of the Adjutant General of any compensation to veterans or

their dependents that has been or may be granted by the

Commonwealth.

(10) To investigate the work of other State agencies in

administering laws affecting veterans and their dependents.

(11) To investigate, compile and maintain complete and

accurate data concerning veterans of the armed forces of the

United States and all State and municipal activities related

thereto.

(12) To compile from the records transmitted from the

various counties of this Commonwealth a record of the burial

places in this Commonwealth of deceased veterans, including

such information as the Deputy [Adjutant General] Secretary

for Veterans' Affairs or [his] a designee deems necessary and

appropriate.

(13) To disseminate information concerning

Pennsylvania's veterans and Pennsylvania's veterans' programs

to veterans' organizations, to the public press and other

media and to the general public.

(14) To biannually submit, through the Adjutant General,

to the Governor a report of State activities on behalf of

veterans.

(15) To serve as a clearinghouse for all problems or

issues related to Pennsylvania's veterans and their

dependents.

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(16) To serve as Executive Secretary of the State

Veterans' Commission.

§ 1731. Accreditation.

* * *

for under a statute other than this title, a director of

veterans affairs shall do all of the following:

* * *

(5) Participate in programs provided by the department,

including:

(i) Annual training and refresher courses provided

by the Office of the Deputy [Adjutant General] Secretary

for Veterans' Affairs.

* * *

(d) Office duties.--The Office of the Deputy [Adjutant

General] Secretary for Veterans' Affairs shall establish a

county director of veterans affairs training program, agreed

upon with the State Association of County Directors of Veterans

Affairs, which shall include the following:

* * *

§ 9304. Grants to veterans' service officer programs.

* * *

(h) Reporting requirements.--On or before October 1 of each

year, designated veterans' service organizations participating

in the program established by this section shall file a written

report with the Adjutant General and the Deputy [Adjutant

General] Secretary for Veterans' Affairs and send copies to the

[chairman] chairperson and minority [chairman] chairperson of

the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the

Senate and the [chairman] chairperson and minority [chairman]

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chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness

Committee of the House of Representatives and State Veterans'

Commission. The report shall contain the following information:

* * *

(j) Audits.--The department or the Auditor General may

conduct such audits and reviews of the grant program hereby

established as the department or the Auditor General determines

to be necessary or appropriate. Copies of all audit reports or

reviews conducted by the department or the Auditor General shall

be made available to the [chairman] chairperson and minority

[chairman] chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency

Preparedness Committee of the Senate and the [chairman]

chairperson and minority [chairman] chairperson of the Veterans

Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the House of

Representatives.

Section 2. This act shall take effect as follows:

(1) The amendment of the following shall take effect

upon the first vacancy of the office of Deputy Adjutant

General for Veterans' Affairs following the effective date of

paragraph (2):

(i) Chapter 17 heading.

(ii) Section 1702(b)(1) and (2) introductory

paragraph, (c) and (e).

(iii) Subchapter B heading of Chapter 17.

(iv) Section 1731(c)(5)(i) and (d) introductory

paragraph.

(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect

immediately.

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