Lieutenant Colonel Keith Marshall introduces bill to expand veteran hiring preference to guardsmen, reservists and spouses

Lieutenant Colonel Keith Marshall of the Adjutant General's Department introduced 26RS2835, "an act concerning veterans and military," saying the proposal would expand the state's veteran hiring preference to include currently serving National Guard members and reservists who do not meet the current statutory definition of "veteran," and to extend preference to military spouses. "So, Mr. Chairman, this bill ... expands it to all currently serving National Guardsmen and reser[vists] as well as all military spouses in the state," Marshall said.

The bill, as described, would change the scope of the existing preference used by state, city and county governments when hiring. Committee members did not debate the merits on the record at this meeting; Marshall offered the bill and signed it into the committee record for future consideration. The transcript does not specify exact statutory language or whether the change would apply retroactively or to future hires only.

If advanced, the bill would require staff to draft the bill text and schedule it for hearing; the committee set a rehearing schedule for other items but did not schedule a specific hearing for 26RS2835 during this session. The committee record shows the bill was introduced and recorded; no formal vote on the bill occurred at this meeting.