Senate Bill 126 Summary

• Establishes the Task Force for Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families with 27 voting members including heads of 16 state departments/agencies and 11 appointed members representing local government, veteran organizations, and federal VA representation.

• Requires the Task Force to develop and implement a statewide strategic plan by January 15, 2016 that tracks services, benefits, and discounts provided to veterans and sets measurable outcomes and goals.

• Mandates that all state agencies providing services targeted to veterans collect and report data annually to the Task Force on the number of beneficiaries served, funding sources, and outcomes achieved.

• Creates the Joint Legislative Veterans and Military Service Members Oversight Committee with 16 members (8 from Senate, 8 from House) to monitor implementation of the strategic plan and report recommendations to the General Assembly through April 1, 2022.

• Task Force must submit annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1 each year with recommendations for statutory, regulatory, or policy changes to improve veteran services.