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Senate Bill 129 to strengthen oversight of six state veterans homes passes committee
Summary
The Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 129, which would expand and formalize advisory councils overseeing the state’s six veterans homes, require a family member on each council, mandate subject-matter expertise and open meetings, and obligate annual reporting to the General Assembly.
Senator Mastrono, sponsor of Senate Bill 129, told the Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee the bill would strengthen oversight of the commonwealth’s six state veterans homes by revamping and clarifying the role of their advisory councils. The committee voted unanimously to report the bill to the House floor.
The legislation would expand each advisory council to 15 members serving three-year terms and explicitly require that at least one family member of a resident sit on the council. Senator Mastrono told the committee the bill also would require the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to provide a subject-matter expert — for example in nursing — to attend council meetings, place an open-meetings requirement on the councils, and require the department to submit an annual report to the General Assembly.
"This legislation...would help strengthen the oversight of our six state veteran homes through their existing advisory councils," Senator Mastrono said. "Our goal in this bill is simple: to build upon the existing advisory council's model, bringing new and different voices to the table to improve resident care and to make each facility the best it can be." He said the bill language was developed in coordination with the DMVA and Senator Baker, a co-prime sponsor who was not present.
Chairman Gillan said he had visited the homes and supported the bill, adding that family members on the councils would bring a vested interest in resident care. "I like the idea of having [a] family member on the council who has more vested interest than somebody sharing a common DNA," Gillan said, and recommended the committee give the bill a unanimous vote.
Committee members noted that a related measure, Senate Bill 933, had passed the Senate in the prior session but had not reached final enactment before that session ended. The sponsor said the current bill builds on that work.
Senate Bill 129 was reported unanimously to the House floor for consideration. The transcript records no roll-call vote by name; the committee chair announced the bill "passes unanimously."
