Bill > A1297

Introduced Session

Ocean and Monmouth County have two of the highest veteran populated counties in the State, with approximately 30,051 and 23,148 veterans respectively. This bill requires the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, to initiate the purchase of property for use as a veterans memorial home in Ocean or Monmouth County. The memorial home will be named the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home after former Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer. Currently, there are three veterans memorial homes, located in Menlo Park, Vineland, and Paramus. The home will be no more than one mile from an acute care facility. As defined in the bill, "acute care facility" means any public general hospital operated and licensed by the State that provides hospital services such as medical and surgical, cardiac, psychiatric, and intensive and critical care; comprehensive rehabilitation; magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography, lithotripsy; and renal dialysis. The departments will have suitable and appropriate improvements made to the property to operate as a veterans memorial home. As defined in the bill, "improvements" includes any actual or proposed physical changes to real property resulting from the provision of work, services, or material by a contractor, or subcontractor. An amount to be determined by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, will be appropriated annually from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs for the purchase of the real property and for the improvements thereto. The veterans' facility must be fully operational within five years following the effective date of the bill, and will provide transportation to and from the acute care facility for hospital services as deemed necessary and appropriate by the administrator or assistant administrator. The Adjutant General and the State Treasurer will prepare and submit periodic reports a least once every six months to the Legislature on the progress of the facility. The bill also updates various sections of law to add the veteran home established by the bill to the other sections of law that concern the veteran memorial homes, including the supervision and operation of the homes, advisory councils, and reporting requirements.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Alex Sauickie (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document