Small Illinois communities will be empowered to band together to form new Veterans Assistance Commissions under legislation passed through the Illinois House today by State Representative Kyle Moore. House Bill 1352 will allow multiple counties who are within a judicial circuit to form a Jurisdictional Veterans Assistance Commission.
” Under current guidelines most of large counties have Veterans Assistance Commissions in place, but many smaller counties lack the resources or funding to form one on their own. This change will allow smaller counties to form joint commissions to better serve veterans in their communities,” Rep. Moore said.
Rep. Moore noted that currently, 96% of Illinois counties with populations more than 60,000 have established Veterans Assistance Commissions while only 34% of counties with populations less than 60,000 have been able to form commissions.
Illinois counties currently without Veterans Assistance Commissions are: Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Fayette, Ford, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Massac, Menard, Monroe, Morgan, Moultrie, Perry, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Scott, Schuyler, Shelby, Stark, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Williamson.
“Veterans Assistance Commissions provide essential services and support to veterans in local communities throughout Illinois. None of our heroes should be left out,” said Moore.