SENATORS Spada, McLin

To amend section 5901.02 of the Revised Code to

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include the Korean War Veterans Association among

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the organizations that may recommend persons to be

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appointed to a county Veterans Service Commission.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 5901.02 of the Revised Code be	5
amended to read as follows:	6

Sec. 5901.02.  In each county there shall be a commission	7
known as "the veterans service commission" composed of five	8
persons. Those persons shall be residents of the county and shall	9
be appointed to five-year terms by a judge of the court of common	10
pleas. At the time of appointment or reappointment to the	11
commission, no commission member shall be an employee of the	12
commission or hold an elective or other appointive office of the	13
county served by the commission.	14

Each member of the commission shall be an honorably	15
discharged or honorably separated veteran. Within sixty days	16
after the date of appointment, each member of the commission shall	17
file the member's form DD214 with the governor's office of	18
veterans affairs in accordance with guidelines established by the	19
director of that office. Appointments to the commission shall be	20
made from lists of recommended persons, in the manner specified in	21
the following paragraph. One person shall be a representative	22
recommended by the American Legion; one person shall be a	23
representative recommended by the Veterans of Foreign Wars; one	24
person shall be a representative recommended by the Disabled	25
American Veterans; one person shall be a representative	26
recommended by the AMVETS; and one person shall be a	27
representative recommended by the Military Order of the Purple	28
Heart of the U.S.A. or, the Vietnam Veterans of America, or the	29
Korean War Veterans Association. If any such organization has no	30
post or chapter located in the county, the appointment shall be	31
made from lists of recommended persons submitted by posts or	32
chapters of any other congressionally chartered veterans	33
organizations located in the county. If no such other	34
organizations have posts or chapters located in the county, the	35
judge described in the following paragraph may appoint any	36
qualified veteran to represent the veteran community.	37

On or before the fifteenth day of October of each year, the	38
judge of the court of common pleas who is responsible for making	39
appointments to the commission shall notify each post or chapter,	40
of each organization within the county from which the member may	41
or must be appointed that it may submit a list containing three	42
recommendations of persons who are eligible for appointment. If	43
the judge does not receive any recommendations within sixty days	44
after providing the required notification, the judge may appoint	45
any qualified veteran to represent the veteran community. The	46
judge shall make the appointment on or before the fifteenth day of	47
January of each year. Vacancies occurring on the commission shall	48
be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.	49

Beginning in the year 2000, appointments to the commission	50
shall be made as follows:	51

(A) Appointments for members to represent the American	52
Legion shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in zero	53
and five.	54

(B) Appointments for members to represent the Veterans of	55
Foreign Wars shall be made for terms to commence in years ending	56
in one and six.	57

(C) Appointments for members to represent the Disabled	58
American Veterans shall be made for terms to commence in years	59
ending in two and seven.	60

(D) Appointments for members to represent the AMVETS shall	61
be made for terms to commence in years ending in three and eight.	62

(E) Appointments for members to represent the Military Order	63
of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A. or, the Vietnam Veterans of	64
America, or the Korean War Veterans Association shall be made for	65
terms to commence in years ending in four and nine.	66

The terms immediately preceding the initial appointments made	67
under divisions (A) to (E) of this section may be for periods of	68
less than five years.	69

Section 2. That existing section 5901.02 of the Revised Code	70
is hereby repealed.	71