2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4157/1
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2023 SENATE BILL 416
September 8, 2023 - Introduced by Senators TESTIN, BALLWEG, FELZKOWSKI, JAMES,
MARKLEIN, STROEBEL and WIRCH, cosponsored by Representatives EDMING,
ARMSTRONG, BRANDTJEN, GOEBEN, GUSTAFSON, JOERS, KRUG, MAGNAFICI,
MURPHY, MURSAU, O'CONNOR, RETTINGER, SCHUTT, SINICKI, SNODGRASS, TITTL
and WICHGERS. Referred to Committee on Labor, Regulatory Reform, Veterans
and Military Affairs.
1 AN ACT to amend 45.82 (2) of the statutes; relating to: grants to counties for
2 veterans services.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, a county or tribe may annually apply for a grant from the
Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of improving services provided to
former military personnel through that county's veterans service office. To be eligible
for a grant under the program, the county veteran's service officer must, if chosen
after April 15, 2015, have taken a civil service examination for the position developed
by the Bureau of Merit Recruitment and Selection in the Department of
Administration or have been appointed under a civil service competitive
examination procedure. This bill changes that requirement so that instead, to
receive a grant, the county veteran's service officer must, if chosen after April 15,
2015, be a Wisconsin resident who served on active duty under honorable conditions
in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and
meet certain other conditions.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
3 SECTION 1. 45.82 (2) of the statutes, as affected by 2023 Wisconsin Act 19, is
4 amended to read:
 2023 - 2024 Legislature -2- LRB-4157/1
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SENATE BILL 416 SECTION 1
1 45.82 (2) The department of veterans affairs shall award a grant annually to
2 a county that meets the standards developed under this section if the county
3 executive, administrator, or administrative coordinator certifies to the department
4 that it employs a county veterans service officer who, if chosen after April 15, 2015,
5 is chosen from a list of candidates who have taken a civil service examination for the
6 position of county veterans service officer developed and administered by the bureau
7 of merit recruitment and selection in the department of administration, or is
8 appointed under a civil service competitive examination procedure under s. 59.52 (8)
9 or ch. 63 elected or appointed under s. 45.80 (1). A grant for $11,688 shall be awarded
10 for a county with a population of less than 20,000, a grant for $13,750 shall be
11 awarded for a county with a population of 20,000 to 45,499, a grant for $15,813 shall
12 be awarded for a county with a population of 45,500 to 74,999, and a grant for $17,875
13 shall be awarded for a county with a population of 75,000 or more. The department
14 of veterans affairs shall use the most recent Wisconsin official population estimates
15 prepared by the demographic services center when making grants under this
16 subsection.
17 (END)