HB 507 2024
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hb0507-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to veterans' assistance; creating s. 2
295.235, F.S.; requiring the Department of Veterans' 3
Affairs, subject to appropriation, to expand programs 4
connecting veterans and their families and survivors 5
to certain services, benefits, and support; requiring 6
the department to host public events for such purpose; 7
requiring a report to the Governor and Legislature; 8
providing an effective date. 9
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WHEREAS, Florida offers its population of almost 1.5 11
million veterans unique benefits, such as in -state tuition rates 12
for veterans and their families using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, 13
several layers of property tax exemptions, and expanded 14
veterans' preference, inclu ding extensive benefits and licensure 15
and fee waivers, for many activities and occupations, and 16
WHEREAS, veterans' benefits and services provided by the 17
State of Florida are meant to complement and augment available 18
federal programs to avoid duplication o f effort and unnecessary 19
state expense for a federally funded service or benefit, and 20
WHEREAS, with only 749,000 Florida veterans enrolled in 21
earned health care services from the United States Department of 22
Veterans Affairs, hundreds of thousands of the s tate's veterans 23
and their families are not taking advantage of earned federal, 24
state, and local services, benefits, and support, and 25
HB 507 2024
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
WHEREAS, while Department of Veterans' Affairs veterans' 26
claims examiners assisted more than 272,000 veterans in 27
providing information and counsel on earned services, benefits, 28
and support by the end of fiscal year 2022, additional federal 29
dollars for Florida veterans remain untouched due to a lack of 30
awareness, and 31
WHEREAS, a corresponding increase in the quality and 32
quantity of outreach opportunities linking veterans to earned 33
benefits through the Department of Veterans' Affairs will not 34
only increase the quality of life for Florida veterans and their 35
families, but provide additional federal dollars to bolster 36
local economies, NOW, THEREFORE, 37
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 39
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Section 1. Section 295.235, Florida Statutes, is created 41
to read: 42
295.235 Funds for promoting veteran assistance. — 43
(1) Subject to an annual appropriation of $500,000 by the 44
Legislature, the Department of Veterans' Affairs shall enhance 45
and expand its Internet -based, mobile application, printed, 46
social media, and in -person outreach programs through various 47
means for the purpose of connecting veterans, their families, 48
and their survivors with earned services, benefits, and support 49
beyond existing underfunded efforts. 50
HB 507 2024
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(2) Using appropriated funds, the department must host at 51
least two public events each year to disseminate information to 52
in-person and virtual attendees r egarding benefits and services 53
available to veterans, including, but not limited to, 54
educational, medical, insurance, and disability benefits. 55
(3) The department must submit an annual report to the 56
Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker o f the 57
House of Representatives which includes the number of public 58
events hosted by the department, the number of attendees at each 59
such event, and any other information deemed necessary by the 60
department. 61
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 62