Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee advances bill to fund two full‑time veterans affairs staff per county
Summary
A Senate subcommittee reported House Bill 3510 favorably after testimony that the measure would set a two‑person staffing floor for county veterans affairs offices if state appropriations are provided; the secretary of the state veterans department urged funds be sent directly to counties.
A state Senate subcommittee voted to report House Bill 3510 favorably to the full committee after witnesses said the bill would reduce staffing inequities among county veterans affairs offices by establishing a two‑person minimum when state funding is available.
Quentin, a committee staffer, summarized the measure as requiring the secretary of the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs to appoint a county veterans affairs officer for each county and, "upon securing funding in the annual general appropriations act," to provide for two full‑time employees in each county veterans affairs office.
Secretary Todd McCaffrey of the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs told the subcommittee he supported the bill as a way to create a consistent floor of service across the state. "There are 46 county veterans affairs officers across the state," McCaffrey said, and recent assessments show "where they need assistance to do better for the veterans across the counties." He said the bill would set a baseline so offices can maintain business hours and better serve veterans.
McCaffrey added that the department is not seeking to be the funding conduit. "It's our preference that that funding would go directly to the counties and be essentially directed for the county veterans affairs office," he said. He also told senators the current statewide aid‑to‑subdivisions funding that supports counties totals about $330,000–$350,000 per year across all 46 counties and largely covers office supplies, underscoring the gap between existing support and the proposed two‑FTE floor.
Committee members asked whether the bill would obligate counties to add staff if appropriations were not provided. McCaffrey said the mandate is conditioned on funding; absent an appropriation the mandate would not be effective and he called it, at that point, an "unresourced mandate." He also clarified appointment and nomination procedures would not change: local delegations would still nominate county veterans affairs officers as before.
After discussion, a member moved and another seconded a motion to report H.3510 favorably. The chair called for a voice vote; the motion carried and the bill was sent to the full committee for further consideration.
The subcommittee did not adopt a specific appropriation in the bill; McCaffrey and senators emphasized that funding would need to be addressed separately in the budget process.
