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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 21, 2021 11:05 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Craig Williams |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Establishment of Staff Judge Advocate at DMVA |
| Shortly, I will be introducing legislation to establish a Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) within the PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). Specifically, my proposal will require that the department chief counsel be an individual who either was or is currently a certified and sworn Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer for not less than five years and in good standing. DMVA is a unique agency with a dual mission to provide benefits and services to the Commonwealth’s veterans and their families while also supporting members of the PA National Guard (PNG). DMVA has a department compliment of approximately 22,000 military and civilian personnel in 90 communities across the Commonwealth. DMVA provides resources and assistance to more than 800,000 veterans and their families, which includes such things as caring for our aging and disabled veterans. The department also prepares the PNG for worldwide combat and combat support operations. The PNG also deploys at the command of the Governor to support state and local authorities in times of emergency. Because of the department’s unique mission and cross-sectional interactions, it is my belief that the department’s head legal counsel should be a qualified JAG who will have a complete and thorough understanding of military justice, operations of the military, the transitional processes experienced by military personnel and the application and administration of veterans’ benefits and services as they relate to service within the United States Armed Forces, reserve components and National Guard. For these reasons, I invite you to join me in supporting this measure designed to provide appropriate legal oversight of a department that specializes in military operations and the administration of the services and benefits deservedly earned by our veterans and their families. |
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Introduced as HB1938