Interim Charges

The Senate Veterans Affairs & Military Installations Committee is charged with conducting a thorough and detailed study of the following issues, including state and federal requirements, and preparing recommendations to address problems or issues that are identified.

1. Study the impact of recent state and federal legislation with regard to protecting the personal privacy of Veterans' discharge records.
2. Study existing language of the Hazelwood Act (Section 54.203, Education Code) which entitles wartime veterans and their children to a waiver of tuition and fees at some State-supported colleges and universities, and make recommendations, including cost estimates, on possible amendments to this Act to permit Veterans who have not fully used their entitlement under the Act to pass on residual benefits to their children.
3. Monitor the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) implementation of HB 591, relating to reciprocity agreements between states concerning admissions of military personnel, and HB 261, relating to instate tuition levels for military personnel.

Reports

The Committee shall submit copies of its final report no later than December 1, 2004. The printing of reports should be coordinated through the Secretary of the Senate. Copies of the final report should be sent to the Lieutenant Governor (5 copies), Secretary of the Senate, Senate Research, Legislative Budget Board, Legislative Council, and Legislative Reference Library.

The final report should include recommended statutory or agency rulemaking changes, if applicable. Such recommendations must be approved by a majority of the voting members of the Committee. Recommendations should also include state and local fiscal cost estimates, where feasible. The Legislative Budget Board is available to assist in this regard.

The following report is available for download:

• Final Report of the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee (935kb - pdf*)

* You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the reports, click here to download a free copy.

Budget and Staff

Travel costs shall be paid from the operating budgets of Senate members. All other costs shall be borne by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee's interim budget, as approved by the Senate Administration Committee. Due to overall budget constraints, it is recommended each interim committee budget include only critical expenditures and, where possible, reductions from previous spending levels.

The Committee should also seek the assistance of legislative and executive branch agencies where appropriate.

Interim Appointments

Pursuant to Section 301.041, Government Code, it may be necessary to change the membership of a committee if a member is not returning to the Legislature in 2005. This will ensure that the work of interim committees is carried forward into the 79th Legislative Session.

Committee Archives

77th Legislature's Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee .

76th Legislature's Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee .