| 1 | 1 | | By: Garcia, Campbell S.B. No. 2001 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed March 17, 2015; March 30, 2015, read |
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| 3 | 3 | | first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and |
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| 4 | 4 | | Military Installations; April 20, 2015, reported adversely, with |
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| 5 | 5 | | favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, |
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| 6 | 6 | | Nays 0; April 20, 2015, sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | 7 | | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 8 | 8 | | COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 2001 By: Garcia |
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| 9 | 9 | | |
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| 10 | 10 | | |
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| 11 | 11 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 12 | 12 | | AN ACT |
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| 13 | 13 | | relating to the establishment and operation of the Texas Women |
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| 14 | 14 | | Veterans Program. |
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| 15 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 16 | 16 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 434, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 17 | 17 | | adding Subchapter E to read as follows: |
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| 18 | 18 | | SUBCHAPTER E. TEXAS WOMEN VETERANS PROGRAM |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sec. 434.201. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) "Commission" means the Texas Veterans Commission. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) "Executive director" means the executive director |
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| 22 | 22 | | of the commission. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) "Program" means the Texas Women Veterans Program. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) "Woman veteran" means a woman who: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (A) served on active duty in the armed forces of |
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| 26 | 26 | | the United States or in the Texas National Guard on federal active |
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| 27 | 27 | | duty under Title 10, United States Code; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (B) was discharged or released from that service |
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| 29 | 29 | | under conditions other than dishonorable. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Sec. 434.202. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM; PROGRAM MISSION. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (a) The Texas Women Veterans Program is established in the |
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| 32 | 32 | | commission. The program is attached to the office of the executive |
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| 33 | 33 | | director for administrative purposes. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (b) The mission of the program is to ensure that the women |
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| 35 | 35 | | veterans of this state have equitable access to federal and state |
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| 36 | 36 | | veterans' benefits and services. |
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| 37 | 37 | | Sec. 434.203. COORDINATOR. The executive director shall |
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| 38 | 38 | | designate a women veterans coordinator for this state. |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 434.204. GENERAL PROGRAM DUTIES. The program shall: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) provide assistance to the women veterans of this |
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| 41 | 41 | | state as provided by this subchapter; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (2) perform outreach functions to improve the |
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| 43 | 43 | | awareness of women veterans of their eligibility for federal and |
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| 44 | 44 | | state veterans' benefits and services; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (3) assess the needs of women veterans with respect to |
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| 46 | 46 | | benefits and services; |
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| 47 | 47 | | (4) review programs, research projects, and other |
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| 48 | 48 | | initiatives designed to address the needs of the women veterans of |
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| 49 | 49 | | this state; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (5) make recommendations to the executive director |
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| 51 | 51 | | regarding the improvement of benefits and services to women |
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| 52 | 52 | | veterans; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (6) incorporate issues concerning women veterans in |
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| 54 | 54 | | commission planning regarding veterans' benefits and services. |
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| 55 | 55 | | Sec. 434.205. ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS. (a) The |
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| 56 | 56 | | program shall advocate for women veterans and work to increase |
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| 57 | 57 | | public awareness about the gender-specific needs of women veterans. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (b) The program shall recommend legislative initiatives and |
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| 59 | 59 | | the development of policies on the local, state, and national |
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| 60 | 60 | | levels to address the issues affecting women veterans. |
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| 61 | 61 | | Sec. 434.206. COLLABORATION. The program shall collaborate |
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| 62 | 62 | | with federal, state, county, municipal, and private agencies that |
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| 63 | 63 | | provide services to women veterans. |
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| 64 | 64 | | Sec. 434.207. RESEARCH; DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION. |
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| 65 | 65 | | (a) The program shall monitor and research issues relating to |
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| 66 | 66 | | women veterans. |
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| 67 | 67 | | (b) The program shall disseminate information regarding |
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| 68 | 68 | | opportunities for women veterans throughout the network of entities |
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| 69 | 69 | | with which the program collaborates. |
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| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 434.208. EDUCATION. Through conferences, seminars, |
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| 71 | 71 | | and training workshops with federal, state, county, municipal, and |
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| 72 | 72 | | private agencies, the program shall provide guidance and direction |
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| 73 | 73 | | to a woman veteran who is applying for grants, benefits, or |
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| 74 | 74 | | services. |
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| 75 | 75 | | Sec. 434.209. HONOR AND RECOGNITION. The program shall |
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| 76 | 76 | | promote events and activities that recognize and honor the women |
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| 77 | 77 | | veterans of this state and women who serve in the military. |
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| 78 | 78 | | Sec. 434.210. FACILITIES. To the extent funding is |
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| 79 | 79 | | available for that purpose, the program shall provide facilities as |
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| 80 | 80 | | appropriate in support of the program. |
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| 81 | 81 | | Sec. 434.211. FUNDING; GRANTS. On behalf of the program, |
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| 82 | 82 | | the commission may: |
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| 83 | 83 | | (1) accept and spend funds: |
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| 84 | 84 | | (A) appropriated to the commission for the |
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| 85 | 85 | | operation of the program; and |
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| 86 | 86 | | (B) received from other sources, including |
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| 87 | 87 | | donations and grants; and |
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| 88 | 88 | | (2) provide matching grants to assist in the |
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| 89 | 89 | | implementation of the program's goals and objectives. |
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| 90 | 90 | | SECTION 2. Section 434.017(e), Government Code, is amended |
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| 91 | 91 | | to read as follows: |
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| 92 | 92 | | (e) To carry out any purpose of this chapter, the commission |
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| 93 | 93 | | may solicit, accept, or refuse a gift, grant, devise, bequest of |
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| 94 | 94 | | money, security, service, or property, including money raised or a |
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| 95 | 95 | | service provided by a volunteer or volunteer group, to promote the |
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| 96 | 96 | | work of the commission for any purpose related to the fund for |
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| 97 | 97 | | veterans' assistance. The commission may participate in the |
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| 98 | 98 | | establishment and operation of an affiliated nonprofit |
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| 99 | 99 | | organization that is established for the purpose of raising money |
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| 100 | 100 | | for or providing services or other benefits to the commission or a |
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| 101 | 101 | | program established in the commission, including the Texas Women |
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| 102 | 102 | | Veterans Program. A gift, grant, devise, or bequest to the fund may |
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| 103 | 103 | | be appropriated in the same manner as other money in the fund, |
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| 104 | 104 | | subject to the purposes provided by Subsection (c) and any |
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| 105 | 105 | | limitation or requirement placed on the gift, grant, devise, or |
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| 106 | 106 | | bequest by the donor or granting entity. |
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| 107 | 107 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 108 | 108 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 109 | 109 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 110 | 110 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 111 | 111 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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| 112 | 112 | | * * * * * |
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