General Assembly Raised Bill No. 261
February Session, 2016 LCO No. 2008
*02008_______VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 261
February Session, 2016
LCO No. 2008
*02008_______VA_*
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT CONCERNING VETERANS SERVICES AT STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2016) (a) The Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut, as the case may be, shall establish at each constituent unit, as defined in section 10a-1 of the general statutes, an Operation Academic Support for Incoming Service Members (OASIS) center responsible for developing and offering programming and services focused on providing outreach and assistance to students who are veterans enrolled at such constituent unit.
(b) The Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut, as the case may be, shall require that each constituent unit employ at least one dedicated full-time professional to staff the OASIS center at such constituent unit. Such professional shall have a demonstrated interest in the concerns of veterans and pursue opportunities for improving and increasing programming and services offered by such OASIS center.
(c) The Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut shall adopt a plan for collaborating with each other and any veterans' service organization, which plan shall include, but not be limited to, holding an annual conference for any staff of the OASIS center at each constituent unit to (1) share best practices for and identify challenges in serving the student population at each such constituent unit who are veterans, (2) discuss efforts for improved communication and coordination of efforts to so serve such population, and (3) develop and update, as the case may be, enhanced behavioral intervention training for any staff working directly with students who are veterans.
(d) The OASIS center at each constituent unit may implement, as a component of its programming and services, some or all of the "Battlefield to Classroom" training developed by the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2016 New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2016
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To implement recommendations of the study conducted by The Board of Regents for Higher Education, pursuant to special act 15-1, on programming available at OASIS centers at public institutions of higher education in this state.
[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.]