Update by Sen. Brackett

Dear Friends,

A focus of this week’s newsletter is to Honor Those Who Served Their Country — our brave Military Veterans. Three pieces of legislation honoring the military that I worked on this year were S 1088, H 248, and SJM 104.

S 1088 was one of the really gratifying pieces of legislation that I was able to carry this year. The bill ensured that the most deserving disabled veterans receive Big Game hunting tags. It directs the Idaho Division of Veterans Services to screen applications for the five Big Game tags that are allocated to disabled veterans. The purpose of the legislation was to ensure the most deserving are prioritized for those tags. Two of the tags will be designated by the Idaho Division of Veterans Services, while the remaining three tags will be designated by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. This has been a very popular program and we wanted to be sure that the most deserving disabled veterans receive the tags. It is just another way we can honor our veterans and show our appreciation for their service.

H 248 was brought in response to the Secretary of the United States Air Force’s request that states improve access, mobility, and portability to licensed occupations for military families and veterans. The bill recognizes applicable military experience, helps expedite applications, and offers reciprocity consideration of current occupational licenses held in other states. This bill will have a positive impact on our military men and women and their spouses, with the most impact in Idaho for those stationed at the Mountain Home Air Force Base. I am pleased to say the bill passed the Senate unanimously and is now with the Governor.