§ 38A:21-25 — Commission on Women Veterans.

38A:21-25. a. There is created in the Department of Veterans Affairs the Commission on Women Veterans. The commission shall work in collaboration with other State agencies and appropriate groups to study and review the needs, priorities, programs, and policies relating to women veterans, including, but not limited to, housing, health care, job training, and outreach. The commission shall ensure that all service providers and citizens are aware of the needs and services available to women veterans and make recommendations for community education and training programs. The commission shall provide outreach in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other organizations to educate and recruit prospective veterans. b. The commission shall consist of 15 members who are New Jersey residents. The Governor shall appoint 12 members and, of the 12 appointed, nine shall be women. There shall be appointed one representative from each of the following branches of military service who may also be affiliated with an organization named below: the Army, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Marines, and the Navy. There shall also be appointed by the Governor: one representative from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, one representative from the American Legion, one representative from the Disabled American Veterans, one representative from the American Veterans, one representative from the New Jersey Army National Guard, one representative from the New Jersey Air National Guard, and one representative from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Director of the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, or their respective designees, shall serve as ex-officio members. c. The public members shall serve for terms of three years and until the appointment and qualification of their successors, except that of the initial appointment of public members, four shall be appointed for a term of three years, four shall be appointed for a term of two years, and four shall be appointed for a term of one year. If any public member discontinues affiliation with the respective veterans' organization, the member shall immediately resign membership with the commission. Any vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments are made. d. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes. e. The commission shall organize as soon as may be practicable after the appointment of a majority of its members and shall select from among its members a chairperson and a vice chairperson, who shall be responsible for the coordination of all activities of the commission. The members shall select a secretary, who need not be a member of the commission. f. The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson and hold hearings at such places as it shall designate. A meeting of the commission may also be called upon the request of eight of the commission members, and eight members of the commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof. The commission shall meet not less than quarterly. g. The commission may conduct public hearings at such places and at such times as it shall designate, at which it may solicit the testimony of interested persons, groups, and the general public. h. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of such employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall provide such organizational and personnel support as the commission may request. i. The commission shall prepare and submit an initial report to the Governor, the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs. j. The commission shall prepare and submit annual reports containing its findings, activities, and recommendations, including any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that it deems appropriate, to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The commission shall periodically advise the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs on its activities, findings, and recommendations. L.2025, c.139, s.52.