Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- House lawmakers on Friday approved legislation to create a new Department of Veterans Affairs within the Office of Health and Human Services, starting in July 2010.

Under the legislation, the agency would take on the work of a smaller veterans' affairs division, which would be replaced but would have the added authorization to establish and maintain a domiciliary care program for homeless vets. The current advisory council for the Rhode Island Veterans Home would be replaced by an advisory council for veterans' affairs.

"There are nearly 100,000 veterans in Rhode Island, many of them with dependents," said Rep. Kenneth Carter, D-North Kingstown, chairman of the House committee on veterans affairs. "There is a wide range of services that need to be provided to these individuals and to the next group of veterans who will be returning from the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. These veterans deserve more attention through a full-fledged autonomous department of government."

The bill, which now goes to the Senate for consideration, specifies that the director of the department be an honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces, appointed by the governor with Senate approval.

 Tags  department of veterans affairs general assembly providence ri Rep. Kenneth Carter

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