Amend the bill by inserting after the title and before the enacting clause the following:
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, under current law, veterans in the State experiencing crises are eligible to receive financial assistance, distributed by the Director of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services; and
Whereas, the Director of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services currently has no authority to administer emergency funds; and
Whereas, funds recently appropriated for the purpose of providing veterans with this financial assistance must be placed in a fund to be administered by the director; and
Whereas, veterans are experiencing crises now, for which financial assistance is immediately necessary; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,’
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. 37-B MRSA §505, sub-§1-B is enacted to read:
Amend the bill by inserting after section 5 the following:
‘Sec. 6. Maine Revised Statutes amended; revision clause. Wherever in the Maine Revised Statutes the words "Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services" appear, they are amended to read "Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes.
Sec. 7. Transfer from General Fund unappropriated surplus; Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Veterans Temporary Emergency Assistance Fund. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Controller shall transfer $375,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to the Veterans Temporary Emergency Assistance Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds account within the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management no later than June 30, 2017.
Sec. 8. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF
Veterans Services 0110
Initiative: Reduces funding previously appropriated in Public Law 2017, chapter 2, Part A.
Veterans Services 0110
Initiative: Establishes the Veterans Temporary Emergency Assistance Fund and provides an allocation to provide financial assistance to veterans.
| DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF |
|
|
|
| DEPARTMENT TOTALS |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
|
|
|
|
|
GENERAL FUND
|
($375,000) |
$0 |
$0 |
|
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS
|
$375,000 |
$500 |
$500 |
|
 |
|
|
| DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS |
$0 |
$500 |
$500 |
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause to the bill. The bill repeals current law governing how the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services issues temporary financial assistance to veterans in financial crises and in its place authorizes the bureau to provide grants to private organizations for the purpose of providing financial assistance to veterans. The amendment strikes that provision and establishes an account within the bureau for the purpose of issuing temporary emergency financial assistance to veterans and provides for a transfer of $375,000 from the administrative account of the bureau to the Other Special Revenue Funds account established by the amendment. The amendment adds a revision clause to change the name of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services to the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services throughout the Maine Revised Statutes.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)