Veterans unaware of — or bewildered by — an array of services offered by state agencies would have an easier go of it under proposed legislation.
The Senate has approved SB126 and the House Government Operations Committee on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the bill. It next goes to the full House, where it likely will pass.
The legislation would create a new veterans’ services coordinator position in the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs and mandate that certain state agencies pick an employee to zero in on veterans’ issues.
The bill originated in the Veterans Reintegration Task Force, a panel the Legislature created last year, said Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, co-chairman of the task force and SB126 sponsor.
The bill stops short of what the task force suggested in its final report: that all state resources for veterans be consolidated under the department.
But it does mandate that state agencies serving veterans start working better together. Salt Lake Tribune
