General Assembly Raised Bill No. 931
January Session, 2013 LCO No. 3318
*03318_______VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 931
January Session, 2013
LCO No. 3318
*03318_______VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT CONCERNING VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Department of Veterans' Affairs shall, within available resources, establish and maintain a registry of data pertaining to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans and small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans that maintain their principal place of business in the state. Such registry shall include, but not be limited to, the name of the veteran or veterans who own each such business concern, the location of such business concern and the type of business in which each such business concern engages. The department shall request this information annually from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and any other appropriate state and federal agencies. For purposes of this section, "small business concern owned and controlled by veterans" and "small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans" have the same meanings as provided in 15 USC 632(q), as amended from time to time.
Sec. 2. Section 27-102n of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There shall be a Board of Trustees for the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The board shall be comprised of the commissioner and sixteen members who by education or experience shall be qualified in health care, business management, social services or law and who shall have a demonstrated interest in the concerns of veterans. A majority of the members of the board shall be veterans, including veterans of World War II, the Korean hostilities and the Vietnam era. Members shall be appointed as follows: Ten by the Governor who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor and one member each by the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, whose terms shall be coterminous with the term of the appointing authority. Members shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties. They shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses in the performance of their duties.
(b) The board shall meet at least quarterly and upon the call of the commissioner. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
(c) The board shall advise and assist the commissioner in the operation of the Veterans' Home, the veterans' advocacy and assistance unit, the administration, expansion or modification of existing programs and services of the department and the development of new programs and services.
(d) The board shall review and approve any regulations prior to adoption by the commissioner concerning: (1) Procedures relating to admission and discharge or transfer of veterans in the home; (2) a per diem fee schedule for programs, services and benefits provided therein; and (3) the participation of eligible family members in programs or services provided by the home.
(e) The board shall submit an annual report to the Governor [,] and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to [public safety and the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to] military and veterans' affairs, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on its activities with its recommendations, if any, for improving the delivery of services to veterans and the addition of new programs. Such report shall include an accounting, based on information contained in the registry described in section 1 of this act, of the number of small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans and small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans that maintain their principal place of business in the state.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage 27-102n
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
New section
Sec. 2
from passage
27-102n
Statement of Purpose:
To provide a mechanism for monitoring the number of small businesses owned by veterans and disabled veterans in the state to determine whether future legislation establishing state contracting preferences for such businesses is appropriate.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]