1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to veterans; establishing a program of 
  1.3             outreach events to promote services available to 
  1.4             veterans; appropriating money; proposing coding for 
  1.5             new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 196. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [196.30] [OUTREACH EVENTS TO PROMOTE SERVICES 
  1.8   TO VETERANS.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [REGIONS AND SCHEDULE.] The commissioner of 
  1.10  veterans affairs shall coordinate with the county veterans 
  1.11  service officers in Minnesota to divide the state into ten 
  1.12  regions in which to hold annual outreach events as described in 
  1.13  subdivision 2.  The events must be held in five of the regions 
  1.14  in May and in the other five regions in November. 
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [OUTREACH EVENTS.] The outreach events must be 
  1.16  designed to identify eligible veterans and assist them in 
  1.17  accessing all benefits available to them as veterans.  The 
  1.18  events must be highly publicized, two-day gatherings of federal, 
  1.19  state, and local agencies that provide services to veterans and 
  1.20  their families.  The events must make information available to 
  1.21  veterans on programs including, but not limited to, Veterans 
  1.22  Administration health care, disability compensation, and 
  1.23  pensions; veterans loans and grants; state veterans homes, 
  1.24  burial benefits, employment services, and job training; and 
  1.25  Social Security. 
  2.1      Subd. 3.  [PROGRAM COSTS.] The commissioner may spend 
  2.2   amounts appropriated for the program in this section, but no 
  2.3   more than $50,000 per fiscal year.  The appropriations may be 
  2.4   used for program expenses but may not be used for salaries or 
  2.5   benefits. 
  2.6      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.7      $50,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.8   commissioner of veterans affairs for fiscal year 2005 for the 
  2.9   purposes of section 1.