Veterans & Defense Affairs, Sec. of; study to recommend plan to guide legislation rel. to veterans.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact composition of additional members beyond those explicitly listed.

Veterans Strategic Plan Study

This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs to create a work group that will study and make recommendations for a statewide strategic plan to guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veterans in Virginia.

What This Bill Does

• The Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs must form a work group every four years.
• The work group includes members from the Department of Veterans Services, Board of Veterans Services, Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations, General Assembly, and a women veterans-focused organization.
• The work group will develop a strategic plan that guides decisions about laws and budgets for veterans over the next four years.
• They need to identify key performance indicators to measure how well Virginia supports its veterans compared to other states.
• After completing their study, the work group must submit a report to the Governor and General Assembly by November 1st every four years.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
• Members of the Department of Veterans Services
• Representatives from veterans organizations
• Virginia's General Assembly

Terms To Know

work group

A team of people who come together to study a topic and make recommendations.

strategic plan

A detailed plan that outlines goals and steps for achieving them over a long period, like four years.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the work group fails to submit their report on time.
• It is unclear how the recommendations from the work group will be used in actual legislation and budget decisions.
• There are no details about penalties for non-compliance with the requirements of this bill.

Official Summary Text

Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs; work group; report.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs to convene a work group every four years to study and develop recommendations for implementing a statewide strategic plan to guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veterans in the Commonwealth. The bill requires the work group to submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly by November 1, 2026, and every four years thereafter.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to direct the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs to convene a work group every four years to study and develop recommendations for implementing a statewide strategic plan to guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veterans in the Commonwealth; report.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
That
the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
(the Secretary)
shall
c
onvene a work group
every four years
to study and develop recommendations for implementing a statewide strategic plan t
o guide legislation and budget decisions relating to veteran
s in the Commonwealth.
The work group shall consist of
at least
nine
members as follows: the Secretary o
r
his designee
;
the Commissioner of
the Department of
Veterans Services or his designee
;
one member from the Board of Veterans Services
;
one member from the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organi
zations
;

four

current
members of the General Assembly, of whom
two
shall be appointed by t
he Speaker of the House of Delegates
in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates
and
two
shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules
;

and one member
from
a veterans organization focused on issues related to women veterans.
The Secretary or his designee shall serve as the chair of the work group
and may appoint additional members
. T
he work group shall
complete its
first meeting by
August
1, 2026, and shall meet
at the call of the chair
every four years thereafter
.

The work group shall (i) develop a statewide strategic plan that will guide legislati
on
and budget
decisions for the
following
four years
,
(ii) identify
quantifiable
key performance indicators
that can be compared with those of other states in determining quality of life for veterans in those states
,
(iii) assess the Commonwealth's curre
nt key performance indicators against those of other states
,
(iv) identify legislative and budgetary recommendations
,
and (v) create a
scorecard
of the Commonwealth's key performance indicators to be presented to the General Assembly Military and Veterans Cau
cus at the first meeting of each
r
egular
s
ession
after the
work group convenes
.

The work group shall submit a report to the Governor and the
General Assembly
by
November 1, 2026,

and every four years thereafter.