Introduced By: Senators Parella, Patterson, Damiani, Kells and Celona
Date Introduced : February 9, 1999
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 42-129-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-129 entitled "Persian Gulf War Information Relief Commission" is hereby amended to read as follows:
42-129-2. Commission established. -- (a) There is established a Persian Gulf War Information and Relief Commission which shall obtain information relating to the health effects of exposure to any Gulf War-related risk substance for veterans of this state who may have been exposed to any such substance in the Persian Gulf region during their period of military service in the Persian Gulf War.
{DEL The commission shall consist of five (5) members, who
shall serve for a term of five (5) years, one of whom shall be
the associate director of the division of veteran's affairs or
his or her designee. The remaining members shall be appointed
as follows: The lieutenant governor shall appoint one member,
the majority leader of the senate shall appoint one member, the
speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member
and the minority leaders of the senate and of the house of representatives
shall together appoint one member. Of the five (5) members, there
shall be at least two (2) honorably discharged veterans on the
commission, one of whom shall have served in the Persian Gulf
region during the Persian Gulf War. One member of the commission
shall be a toxicologist, one member shall be an epidemiologist,
each of whom shall be licensed by the state, one shall be the
president of the united veteran's council on his or her designee
and one shall be the chairperson of the advisory council to veteran's
affairs on his or her designee. DEL}
{ADD (b) The commission shall consist of seven (7) members who shall serve for a term of five (5) years one (1) of whom shall be the associate director of the division of veteran's affairs or his or her designee; one (1) shall be the president of the united veteran's council or his or her designee; and one (1) shall be the chairperson of the advisory council to veteran's affairs or his or her designee. The remaining members shall be appointed as follows: The lieutenant governor shall appoint one (1) member who shall be an honorable discharged veteran, the majority leader of the senate shall appoint one (1) member who shall be a licensed physician and an epidemiologist, the speaker of the house shall appoint one (1) member who shall be a licensed physician and a toxicologist, and the minority leaders of the senate and the house of representatives shall together appoint one (1) member who shall be an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Persian Gulf during the Persian Gulf War. ADD}
(c) The commission shall elect a chairperson from among its members. Vacancies in the membership of the commission and its officers shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment or election. The commission shall meet at least four (4) times a year at the call of the chairperson. The initial meeting of the commission shall be called by the director of the department of human services not later than September 1, 1998. The members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
