House Bill 1241 seeks to enhance support for veterans in Florida by appropriating $2.5 million in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Veterans' Affairs for various veteran programs. The bill introduces a new section, 295.25, which exempts veterans from certain filing fees related to business registrations and designations, allowing them to apply for this exemption only once. It also expands fee exemptions for driver licenses to include members of the Florida National Guard and their spouses, in addition to existing exemptions for honorably discharged veterans with specific disability ratings.

Moreover, the bill revises the membership of the board of directors for Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., increasing it from 11 to 12 members to ensure representation from active or retired military personnel. It renames the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program to the Veterans Florida Opportunity Program and establishes new guidelines for grant reimbursements, limiting them to $5,000 per eligible trainee per fiscal year. The bill also introduces reduced fees for lifetime hunting and sportsman's licenses for active or retired military members and grants the chief judge of each judicial circuit exclusive authority to determine veterans' participation in veterans treatment courts. The provisions of this act are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
H 1241 Filed: 295.124, 295.22, 394.47891