CREATE VETERANS SPEAKERS PROGRAM - H.B. 4776 (H-1): COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4776 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Larry Julian
House Committee: Veterans Affairs
Senate Committee: Human Resources, Labor, Senior Citizens and Veterans Affairs
CONTENT
The bill would create a new act to create a veterans speakers program within the Veterans' Affairs Directorate of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Under the program, the Directorate could do all of the following:
-- Create a list of veterans who were willing to visit local schools and make presentations of their military experiences. The list would have to include each veteran's length of service, geographical area of service, and rank.
-- Encourage veterans' organizations to participate in the program.
-- Create a pamphlet that encouraged schools to use the experiences of veterans in the course of their educational instruction. The pamphlet would have to include the name and means of contacting appropriate veterans from the list of veterans willing to participate in the program.
-- Distribute the pamphlet to all the school districts in Michigan.
-- Provide a system of receiving evaluations of the speakers and the program from teachers and students who used the program.
-- Update the list of available veteran speakers at least annually. The Directorate could make the list available on the Internet through the Department's web site.
The speakers program created under the bill would not be a replacement for any instruction required by any other law, and the bill would not require a teacher to participate in the program. A teacher who chose to participate could tailor the subject matter and select the veteran whom he or she determined was most appropriate for the students.
The Director of the Veterans' Affairs Directorate would have to report annually to the Senate and House committees having jurisdiction over veterans affairs regarding the program's merits and use.
- Legislative Analyst: P. Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Since the Veterans' Affairs Directorate would be permitted, but not required, to carry out the bill's provisions, the departmental cost of compliance with the bill could range from zero dollars to approximately $50,000 per year. Should the Department choose to do so, it could implement the bill's provisions by using its existing resources, including the Department's existing Internet website. A more comprehensive approach to the creation of a veterans speakers program could require the Directorate to hire an additional staff person at an additional annual cost of $35,000 to $50,000.
- Fiscal Analyst: B. BakerS9900\s4776sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.