Veteran- and military-related bills approved by the state Legislature and signed into law in 2014.
HB 2130: Veterans innovations program — The Defender’s Fund and the Competitive Grant Program are combined and referred to as the VIP. Sponsor: MacEwen. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SHB 2171: Veterans, military personnel — Amends the Washington Service Members’ Civil Relief Act (WSCRA) to authorize a private right of action, or an action by the Washington Attorney General, to enforce the provisions of the WSCRA. Provides that the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act applies in proper cases in Washington courts, and a violation of the federal act is a violation of the WSCRA. Sponsor: Orwall. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
ESHB 2315: Suicide prevention — Requires certain professions to complete one-time training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. Requires the model list of training programs in suicide assessment, treatment, and management to be updated periodically and, when practicable, to contain content specific to veterans. Requires the development of a plan to create a pilot program for psychiatric consultation. Requires the development of the Washington Plan for Suicide Prevention. Sponsor: Orwall. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SHB 2363: Military member dependents — Allows dependents of military service members to retain eligibility for developmental disability services while living out of state due to military assignment. Sponsor: Muri. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
EHB 2397: Medal of Honor license plate — Allows registered owners who have been awarded the Medal of Honor to apply for Medal of Honor special license plates for use on up to three motor vehicles registered to the Medal of Honor recipient. Medal of Honor recipients may elect to use the fee exemptions associated with Medal of Honor license plates for regular-issue license plates instead. Removes “Congressional” in reference to the title of the medal. Defines “Medal of Honor” as the military decoration awarded by the President of the United States, in the name of Congress. Sponsor: Seaquist. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
HB 2744: Veteran-owned businesses — A qualifying veteran-owned business must be an enterprise incorporated in Washington as a domestic corporation or an enterprise with its principal place of business located in the state. Sponsor: G. Hunt. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SB 5318: Military/resident tuition — The definition of resident student is revised to include the following:
— a student who is on active military duty or a member of the National Guard who entered service as a Washington resident and has maintained Washington as their domicile but is not stationed in the state;
— a student who is a spouse or a dependent of a person who is on active military duty or a member of the National Guard entered service as a Washington resident and has maintained Washington as their domicile but is not stationed in the state;
— a student who has separated from the military under honorable conditions after at least two years of service, enters an institution of higher education in Washington within one year of the date of separation, and meets one or more criteria regarding a connection or intended connection to Washington;
— a student who is the spouse or a dependent of an individual who has separated from the military under honorable conditions after at least two years of service, and meets certain criteria regarding a connection or intended connections to Washington. Sponsor: Bailey. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SSB 5691: Veterans’ homes — The Walla Walla Veterans’ home is established and maintained as a branch of the state soldiers’ home, and any veterans, veterans’ spouses, or parents of children who died while serving in the armed forces may apply for admission. The requirement that a veteran or a veteran’s spouse or domestic partner be indigent to apply for admission to a state veterans’ home is removed. Parents of any child who died while serving in the armed forces may be admitted as residents to a state veterans’ home. The requirement that state veterans’ homes provide both domiciliary and nursing care is removed. Sponsor: Hewitt. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SB 5775: Veterans/drivers’ licenses — A person may apply to DOL to obtain a veteran designation on a driver’s license or identification card. The person must provide the Department of Defense discharge document, DD Form 214, that shows a discharge status of honorable or general under honorable conditions, and establishes the person’s service in the armed forces. Sponsor: Benton. Effective date: Aug. 30, 2017.
SSB 5969: Academic credit/military — Requires each public institution of higher education to adopt a policy to award academic credit for military training courses or programs before Dec. 31, 2015, and submit the policy to the Prior Learning Assessment workgroup for evaluation. Requires each public institution of higher education to provide a copy of their policy to award academic credit for military training to enrolled students who have listed prior or present military service in their application. Sponsor: O’Ban. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
SB 6208: Veterans’ benefits/services — Prohibits a person from certain acts and practices related to assistance in the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a veterans’ benefits claim. Requires advertisements for events regarding veterans’ benefits to include a disclaimer.Makes certain prohibited acts and practices a violation of the Consumer Protection Act. Sponsor: Hill. Effective date: June 12, 2014.
— Source: The Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs. This report is available online at www.dva.wa.gov/PDF%20files/2014%20Legislative%20Session%20End%20Report.pdf
