Bill Text: OH HB561 | 2013-2014 | 130th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: To increase the number of individuals who serve on the Veterans Service Commission.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-22 - To Military and Veterans Affairs [HB561 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2013-HB561-Introduced.html

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As Introduced

130th General Assembly Regular Session 2013-2014

H. B. No. 561

Representative Pillich 

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A BILL

To amend section 5901.02 of the Revised Code to

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increase the number of individuals who serve on

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the Veterans Service Commission.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 5901.02 of the Revised Code be	4
amended to read as follows:	5

Sec. 5901.02.  In each county there shall be a commission	6
known as "the veterans service commission." Except as provided in	7
section 5901.021 of the Revised Code, the commission shall be	8
composed of fiveseven residents of the county appointed to	9
five-year terms by a judge of the court of common pleas. At the	10
time of appointment or reappointment to the commission, no	11
commission member appointed under this section shall be an	12
employee of the commission or hold an elective or other appointive	13
office of the county served by the commission.	14

Each member of the commission appointed under this section	15
shall be an honorably discharged or honorably separated veteran,	16
except the member who is a spouse or surviving spouse of a	17
veteran. Within sixty days after the date of appointment, each	18
such member shall file the member's form DD214 with the department	19
of veterans services in accordance with guidelines established by	20
the director of that department. Such appointmentsOne appointment	21
shall be a spouse or surviving spouse of a veteran. One	22
appointment shall be a veteran of the conflicts in the Persian	23
gulf, Afghanistan, or Iraq including operation desert storm,	24
operation enduring freedom, operation Iraqi freedom, and operation	25
new dawn. The remaining five appointments shall be made from lists	26
of recommended persons, in the manner specified in the following	27
paragraph. One person shall be a representative recommended by the	28
American Legion; one person shall be a representative recommended	29
by the Veterans of Foreign Wars; one person shall be a	30
representative recommended by the Disabled American Veterans; one	31
person shall be a representative recommended by the AMVETS; and	32
one person shall be a representative recommended by the Military	33
Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., the Vietnam Veterans of	34
America, or the Korean War Veterans Association. If any such	35
organization has no post or chapter located in the county, the	36
appointment shall be made from lists of recommended persons	37
submitted by posts or chapters of any other congressionally	38
chartered veterans organizations located in the county. If no such	39
other organizations have posts or chapters located in the county,	40
the judge responsible for making appointments under this section	41
may appoint any qualified veteran to represent the veteran	42
community.	43

On or before the fifteenth day of October of each year, the	44
appointing judge shall notify each post or chapter of each	45
organization within the county from which the member may or must	46
be appointed that it may submit a list containing three	47
recommendations of persons who are eligible for appointment. If	48
the judge does not receive any recommendations within sixty days	49
after providing the required notification, the judge may appoint	50
any qualified veteran to represent the veteran community. The	51

The judge shall make thean appointment on or before the	52
fifteenth day of January of each year. Any vacancy in a membership	53
appointed under this section shall be filled in the same manner as	54
the original appointmentsappointment.	55

Beginning in the year 2000, appointmentAppointment of	56
members to the commission under this section shall be made as	57
follows:	58

(A) Appointments for members to represent the American Legion	59
shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in zero and	60
five.	61

(B) Appointments for members to represent the Veterans of	62
Foreign Wars shall be made for terms to commence in years ending	63
in one and six.	64

(C) Appointments for members to represent the Disabled	65
American Veterans shall be made for terms to commence in years	66
ending in two and seven.	67

(D) Appointments for members to represent the AMVETS shall be	68
made for terms to commence in years ending in three and eight.	69

(E) Appointments for members to represent the Military Order	70
of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., the Vietnam Veterans of	71
America, or the Korean War Veterans Association shall be made for	72
terms to commence in years ending in four and nine.	73

The terms immediately preceding the initial appointments made	74
under divisions (A) to (E) of this section may be for periods of	75
less than five years.	76

(F) Appointments for members to represent as a veteran of the	77
conflicts in the Persian gulf, Afghanistan, or Iraq including	78
operation desert storm, operation enduring freedom, operation	79
Iraqi freedom, and operation new dawn, shall be made for terms to	80
commence in years ending in zero and five.	81

(G) Appointments for members to represent as a spouse or	82
surviving spouse of a veteran shall be made for terms to commence	83
in years ending in one and six.	84

The appointing authority shall remove a member who fails to	85
maintain certification or whose certification is revoked by the	86
director of veterans services.	87

Section 2. That existing section 5901.02 of the Revised Code	88
is hereby repealed.	89

Section 3. Within 60 days after the effective date of this	90
act, a judge of the court of common pleas in each county shall	91
make initial appointments to the county veterans service	92
commission of the members added by this act. The initial terms of	93
the member appointed under division (F) of section 5901.02 of the	94
Revised Code ends on January 1, 2015. The initial terms of the	95
member appointed under division (G) of section 5901.02 of the	96
Revised Code ends on January 1, 2016.	97