An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine's Veterans by Establishing an Interagency Council To Coordinate Services for Homeless Veterans
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1611
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-L, 37-B MRSA §513-A

Legislative Document 
No. 1611 
H.P. 1099 
House of Representatives, February 25, 2016 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To 
Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine's Veterans by 
Establishing an Interagency Council To Coordinate Services for 
Homeless Veterans 
Reported by Representative LUCHINI of Ellsworth for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 48, section 7. 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed 
pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-L, sub-§14 is enacted to read: 
14.    
Sec. 2.  37-B MRSA §513-A is enacted to read: 
§513-A.  Maine Interagency Council to Coordinate Services to Homeless Veterans 
1.  Maine Interagency Council to Coordinate Services to Homeless Veterans; 
established.  The Maine Interagency Council to Coordinate Services to Homeless 
Veterans, referred to in this section as "the council," is established to maximize services 
provided by state and federal agencies and other organizations dedicated to serving 
veterans in the State. 
2.  Members.  The council consists of the following 8 members: 
A.  The director, who is the chair of the council; 
B.  The Director of the Maine State Housing Authority, or a designee; 
C.  A representative of the Department of Health and Human Services who oversees 
the administration of services and benefits to residents of the State at risk of being 
homeless, appointed by the Commissioner of Health and Human Services; 
D.  The Commissioner of Transportation, or a designee; 
E.  The Commissioner of Corrections, or a designee; 
F.  A representative of a nonprofit homelessness services provider, appointed by the 
director; 
G.  A member of the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over veterans affairs, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives; and 
H.  One additional member that a majority of the members of the council determines 
would contribute to the efforts of the council. 
3.  Terms.  Members appointed pursuant to paragraph F and named pursuant to 
paragraph H serve 2-year terms.  A legislative member serves during the term of office 
for which the member was elected. 
4.  Advisory group of federal agency representatives.  The council may form an 
advisory group of federal agency representatives that may include representatives of the 
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Department of Housing 
and Urban Development and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs' 
supportive services for veteran families program. 
Maine Interagency Council to 
Coordinate Services to 
Homeless Veterans 
Not Authorized 
37-B MRSA §513-A 
5.  Meetings.  The council shall meet at least 4 times per year at a time and location 
determined by the director, except that the council is not required to meet more than once 
in 2016. 
6.  Duties; strategic plan.  The council is charged with developing strategies to 
enhance coordination and communication among agencies and organizations that provide 
services that seek to place veterans in permanent housing and that seek to improve access 
to services known to support housing stability for veterans who are experiencing 
homelessness or veterans who are at risk of homelessness. The council shall develop a 
strategic plan that: 
A.  Establishes a baseline for homelessness in the State from which improvements 
can be measured.  In determining the baseline, the council is not required to use the 
federal definition of homelessness and may include levels of housing instability or 
ranges of homelessness; 
B.  Develops a method of measuring the problem of homelessness among veterans in 
the State in a manner that demonstrates whether or not efforts to reduce the number 
of homeless veterans in the State have been successful; 
C.  Identifies specific processes for improving communication among agencies that 
provide services to veterans, including services unrelated to homelessness, that will 
facilitate identification of veterans in need of housing assistance or veterans who may 
be at risk of homelessness and maximize resources available to address the problem 
of homelessness among veterans; and 
D.  Develops a framework and timeline for determining progress of communication 
and coordination efforts targeting the problem of homelessness among veterans and 
the effectiveness of those efforts at reducing the problem of homelessness among 
veterans. 
7.  Lead agency; staff.  The bureau is designated as the lead agency responsible for 
carrying out the duties of the council and the requirements of this section.  The  director is 
authorized to establish a position within the bureau to facilitate the purposes of this 
section and provide staff services to the council. 
8.  Report.  The council shall submit a report of its efforts to develop enhanced 
methods of communication among providers of services to veterans, recommendations to 
maximize 
existing 
services 
to 
address 
homelessness 
among 
veterans 
and 
recommendations to increase access to services that support the placement of veterans in 
suitable, permanent housing.  The report and any suggestions for legislation must be 
submitted no later than February 15th annually to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over veterans affairs and the committee is authorized to 
submit legislation to implement the recommendations included in the council's report. 
Sec. 3.  Initial meeting; initial members.  The Director of the Bureau of Maine 
Veterans' Services within the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency 
Management shall convene the initial meeting of the Maine Interagency Council to 
Coordinate Services to Homeless Veterans established in the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 37-B, section 513-A no later than December 1, 2016.  Except for the member 
described in Title 37-B, section 513-A, paragraph H, initial council members must be 
named and their names provided to the Director of the Bureau of Maine Veterans' 
Services no later than October 15, 2016. 
SUMMARY 
This bill was submitted by the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal 
Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 48.  The bill implements some of the 
recommendations made by the Commission To Strengthen and Align the Services 
Provided to Maine's Veterans.  The bill establishes an interagency council to address 
homelessness 
among 
veterans 
by 
maximizing 
existing 
services, 
enhancing 
communication among providers and improving access to services that support 
permanent and stable housing for veterans.