PRINTER'S NO. 2287
No. 362 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY SEMMEL, TIGUE, STERN, BEBKO-JONES, ALLEN, ARGALL,
BAKER, BALDWIN, BARRAR, BASTIAN, BELFANTI, BOYD, BUNT,
CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CRAHALLA, DALLY, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI,
FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY,
GINGRICH, GOOD, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HABAY, HARHAI, HARRIS,
HENNESSEY, HERMAN, HESS, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, JAMES,
LEACH, LEDERER, MANN, MARKOSEK, R. MILLER, MUSTIO, NAILOR,
O'NEILL, PALLONE, PAYNE, PETRARCA, PHILLIPS, PICKETT,
RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROHRER, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
SAMUELSON, SATHER, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SHANER,
SOLOBAY, STABACK, SURRA, E. Z. TAYLOR, J. TAYLOR, THOMAS,
WALKO, WATSON, WILT, WRIGHT, YOUNGBLOOD, ZUG AND McCALL,
JUNE 22, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, JUNE 22, 2005
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
2 conduct a comprehensive study and review of veterans services
3 in Pennsylvania, exploring a broad range of options on how
4 best to organize, fund, staff and operate veterans programs
5 in order to provide the best possible services to
6 Pennsylvania veterans and their families in the most cost-
7 effective and efficient manner.
8 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has approximately 1.2 million veterans
9 who have served in the armed forces of the United States; and
10 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania provides services to its veterans and
11 their families through a variety of programs managed at the
12 State and local levels; and
13 WHEREAS, The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is
14 the lead State agency for many veterans programs, including six
1 State veterans homes, Scotland School for Veterans' Children,
2 the real property tax exemption program for certain disabled
3 veterans, the blind and paralyzed veterans' pensions, the
4 veterans' emergency assistance program, the veterans'
5 educational gratuity program and four veterans' service officers
6 to provide direct services to veterans; and
7 WHEREAS, The State Veterans' Commission, the advisory
8 councils for the State veterans homes and the Pennsylvania
9 Veterans' Memorial Commission carry out various statutory
10 responsibilities and provide advice and input concerning
11 veterans programs; and
12 WHEREAS, The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has
13 done an outstanding job in managing and overseeing the growth of
14 Pennsylvania's veterans programs, including doubling the number
15 of veterans homes over the last ten years; and
16 WHEREAS, The Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
17 Program, under the aegis of the Department of Labor and
18 Industry, provides a variety of services to veterans with an
19 emphasis on assisting in employment and employment-related
20 training; and
21 WHEREAS, At the local level, county directors of veterans
22 affairs and county governments provide a variety of services to
23 veterans; and
24 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania War Veterans' Council and the State
25 Veterans' Commission have requested consideration of
26 establishment of a separate Department of Veterans Affairs for
27 Pennsylvania; and
28 WHEREAS, A comprehensive, professional evaluation of how best
29 to organize, fund and staff government at all levels to best
30 serve Pennsylvania's veterans and their families will assist the
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1 General Assembly and the Administration in making key decisions
2 about the future of veterans programs in this Commonwealth;
3 therefore be it
4 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the House of
5 Representatives direct the Legislative Budget and Finance
6 Committee to conduct a comprehensive study and review of
7 veterans services in Pennsylvania to include an examination of
8 how such services are organized, managed, funded and staffed at
9 the State and local levels as well as a review of the
10 composition, functions and duties of the State Veterans'
11 Commission and the advisory councils for veterans homes; and be
12 it further
13 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
14 compare how veterans services are provided in Pennsylvania to
15 provision of services in other states; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the study include recommendations on how
17 Pennsylvania should best organize, manage, fund and staff
18 veterans programs at the State and local levels to provide the
19 best services to Pennsylvania veterans and their families in the
20 most cost-effective and efficient manner; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the study review and consider the costs and
22 benefits of a broad range of options for best providing veterans
23 services, including, but not limited to, reorganizing the
24 executive branch of State government to establish a separate
25 Department of Veterans Affairs; and be it further
26 RESOLVED, That, in order to assist the efforts of the
27 Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in conducting this
28 study, a working group be established consisting of the Adjutant
29 General or her designee, the Deputy Adjutant General for
30 Veterans Affairs or his designee, the Secretary of Labor and
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1 Industry or his designee, the chairman of the State Veterans'
2 Commission and five additional members of the commission
3 appointed by the commission chairman, the President of the
4 Pennsylvania State Association of County Directors of Veterans
5 Affairs or his designee and the chairman and minority chairman
6 of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of
7 the Senate and the chairman and minority chairman of the
8 Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the
9 House of Representatives or their designees; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That the working group provide advice and input to
11 assist the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in gaining
12 various perspectives on the tasks assigned to it; and be it
13 further
14 RESOLVED, That the staff of the Department of Military and
15 Veterans Affairs assist the Legislative Budget and Finance
16 Committee and the working group with the study described in this
17 resolution; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
19 or the staff thereof hold such public hearings and meetings as
20 they deem appropriate in the course of the study; and be it
21 further
22 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
23 file a report containing its findings and recommendations no
24 later than November 30, 2006.
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