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S.F. No. 425 - Military Affairs and Veterans Affairs Appropriations - as Proposed to be Amended by the A-1 Amendment
 
Author: Senator Tom Saxhaug
 
Prepared By: Stephanie James, Senate Counsel (651/296-0103)
 
Date: April 8, 2015



 

Section 1 [Military and Veterans Affairs Appropriations]

Section 2 [Military Affairs] appropriates money to the Department of Military Affairs, detailed on the spreadsheet.

Section 3 [Veterans Affairs] appropriates money to the Department of Veterans Affairs, detailed on the spreadsheet.

Section 4 [Appropriation Cancellations] cancels unspent funds of $44,000 to the general fund.  This money was appropriated in Laws 2014 to the Department of Education to implement expedited and temporary licenses for veterans.  (This money is appropriated in section 3 of this bill to the Department of Veterans Affairs to be transferred to the Department of Education for this same purpose.)  This provision is in Senator Saxhaug’s bill, S.F. No. 2024.

Section 5 [Uses; Veterans] expands the permitted uses of money in the Support Our Troops account so that grants may be given to certain nonprofits and foundations.  This provision was in the Governor’s recommendations, S.F. No. 888.

Section 6 [Annual Report] makes the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs subject to the same reporting requirement as the Commissioner of Military Affairs about the use of grants made from the Support Our Troops account. 

Section 7 [Temporary Emergency Relief] makes payment on death of any MN National Guard service member (not just in cases of hardship, as required under current law) to the member's family or estate and sets the amount of the payment the same as the death gratuity paid for those service members with federal active service status. This provision was recommended by the Governor in his supplemental budget recommendations.

Section 8 [Reclassification Bonus Program] permits the adjutant general to establish a bonus program to provide incentives for MN National Guard members to complete certain training. Specifies criteria for eligibility and permits the adjutant general to determine additional criteria that must be specified in regulation.  Permits the adjutant general to recoup a prorated amount of the bonus if the member fails to complete a term of reenlistment or an obligated term of commissioned service for which a bonus was paid.  This provision was recommended by the Governor in his supplemental budget recommendations.

Section 9 [Disposal of Property and Expiration of Board of Governors] permits the trustees responsible for the disposal of property and assets from Big Island Veterans Camp to remove a trustee on a majority vote with consent of the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. Provides for filling vacancies in the trusteeship. This provision was in Senator Saxhaug’s bill, S.F. No. 427.

Section 10 [Cost of Care] requires the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs to establish in rules a method to calculate a maintenance charge for domiciliary residents.  The maintenance charge establishes a personal needs allowance based on the resident’s monthly income.  This section sets the minimum personal needs allowance for the period June 30, 2016, to June 30, 2017, at $122 per month and at $130 for the following year.  After that, the allowance is adjusted annually by one-half of the percentage change of the Consumer Price Index on the first day of each calendar year.  This provision was in Senator  Sieben’s bill, S.F. No. 131.

Section 11 [Arrearages] specifies that when a resident enters into an agreement for a payment schedule to address overdue maintenance charges, the agreement must not reduce the resident’s personal needs allowance below the minimum amounts specified in section 10.  This provision was in Senator Sieben’s bill, S.F. No. 131.

Section 12 [Repealer] repeals statutes that provided for creation and duties of a Board of Governors of Big Island Veterans Camp.  This provision was in Senator Saxhaug’s bill, S.F. No. 427.

 

 
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