Military and Veterans’ Affairs (MVA) Policy Committee

A RESOLUTION ON FEMALE VETERANS LICENSE PLATES

WHEREAS, prestige license plates and special license plates for certain persons and vehicles are available in states;

WHEREAS, motor vehicle and trailer owners who are veterans or women veterans, who have received a military medal award, or who served during active military combat should be eligible to receive special and distinctive vehicle license plates for private passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, or recreational vehicles used for personal transportation;

WHEREAS, motor vehicle and trailer owners who are veterans or women veterans, who have received a military medal award, or who served during active military combat should be issued upon application for and upon compliance with the state motor vehicle laws relating to registration and licensing of motor vehicles a veteran’s license plate, a woman veteran’s license plate, a military medal award recipient license plate, or a commemorative service license plate for service during active military combat, without the requisite registration fee, manufacturing fee, or annual registration fee;

WHEREAS, each member or former member of the armed forces of the United States should be entitled to no more than one such free license plate at a time; provided, however, that upon payment of a manufacturing in each state, a member shall be entitled to one additional such license plate; and

WHEREAS, the special and distinctive vehicle license plates shall be according to the state law for private passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks, recreational vehicles, and trailers used for personal transportation and that such plates shall contain such words or symbols, in addition to the numbers and letters prescribed by law, so as to identify distinctively the owners who are veterans or women veterans, who are recipients of a military medal award, or who served during active military combat and shall additionally identify distinctly the owner as a veteran or woman veteran of one of the following branches of the armed forces of the United States: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the spouse of a deceased veteran or woman veteran or of a deceased person who received a military medal award or who served during active military combat shall continue to be eligible to be issued a distinctive personalized license plate as provided by each state for any vehicle owned by such veteran or woman veteran, and that such ownership is transferred to the surviving spouse or for any other vehicle owned by such surviving spouse either at the time of the qualifying veteran’s or woman veteran’s death or acquired thereafter, so long as such person does not remarry; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA), Representative Sandra Scott (GA), Representative Karen Camper (TN), and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (NJ)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Military and Veterans’ Affairs Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Chair(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA) and Representative Clem Smith (MO)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 2, 2017
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Gregory W. Porter (IN), President

A RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING VETERANS’ PREFERENCE IN EMPLOYMENT POLICIES

WHEREAS, veterans account for 10 percent of the total adult population but account for 16 percent of the homeless adult population;

WHEREAS, Post-9/11 and peacetime veterans have higher poverty rates, and younger post-9/11 veterans have higher poverty rates;

WHEREAS, the Post-9/11 and pre-9/11 cohorts of veterans have the highest number of minorities;

WHEREAS, veterans ages 25-34 as well as ages 65 and over are a growing segment of the veteran unemployed population;

WHEREAS, veterans of color made up 22 percent of the total veteran population in 2014, with the two largest groups being Black at 11 percent and Hispanic at 7 percent;

WHEREAS, most minority veterans tend to have lower employed rates than non-veterans;

WHEREAS, returning veterans may find difficulty in utilizing transferable skills in their job searches; and

WHEREAS, employers can gain useful skills from veterans based on their service in the armed forces.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) supports policies that permit employers to provide preferential hiring, promoting, or retention of veterans in civilian employment;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBCSL supports employment practices that prohibit discrimination on the basis of veterans’ status; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA), Representative Sandra Scott (GA), Representative Karen Camper (TN), and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (NJ)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Military and Veterans’ Affairs Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Chair(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA) and Representative Clem Smith (MO)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 2, 2017
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Gregory W. Porter (IN), President

A RESOLUTION ADVOCATING FOR EMPLOYMENT REINSTATEMENT FOR NATIONAL GUARDSMEMBERS FOLLOWING ACTIVE SERVICE

WHEREAS, the National Guard is a reserve military force composed of members from each state, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia;

WHEREAS, there are more than 434,000 members of the Army and Air National Guard collectively;

WHEREAS, National Guardsmembers often are employed in full-time civilian work and can be called to active duty at any time;

WHEREAS, National Guardsmembers who are activated and actively serve for two years are eligible for veterans’ preference;

WHEREAS, the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) establishes rights and responsibilities for uniformed Servicemembers and their civilian employers; and

WHEREAS, USERRA provides rights to returning Servicemembers to be reemployed in their civilian job if they leave that job to perform service and comply with requirements under USERRA.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators advocates that National Guardsmembers called for active duty should be eligible to apply for reemployment following discharge or suspension of active service;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that private employers are encouraged to reemploy certain members of the National Guard of another State who have been discharged or suspended from employment by his or her employer due to being called into active state service; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSOR(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA), Representative Sandra Scott (GA), Representative Karen Camper (TN), and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (NJ)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Military and Veterans’ Affairs Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Chair(s): Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague (GA) and Representative Clem Smith (MO)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 2, 2017
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Gregory W. Porter (IN), President