Much conflicting information has circulated about SB 67, Gov. Kay Ivey’s bill placing the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA), the State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA), and the commissioner of Veterans Affairs under the governor’s control. Let’s read the bill and sort the myths from the realities.
MYTH: The governor’s bill gives Alabama veterans a greater voice concerning their care and benefits.
REALITY: The bill places ADVA and the commissioner directly under the governor’s control; they serve “at the Governor’s pleasure,” meaning the governor may fire them whenever she wants, for whatever reason she wants, or for no reason at all – or maybe even for filing an ethics complaint against one of the governor’s cabinet members.
MYTH: The board retains oversight over the ADVA.
REALITY: The governor’s bill uses the ambiguous terms “oversee” once in the Synopsis and “oversight” several other times without ever providing a clear definition. But whenever the bill addresses actual functions, it transfers powers from the SBVA to the commissioner of the department. Consequently, the board’s role is consistently downgraded from “approve” to “advise,” “consult,” or “recommend.” In nearly 40 places in the governor’s bill, SBVA functions were either stripped from the board or reduced to advisory.
If the governor’s bill becomes law, the SBVA will be merely an advisory body. All power will be vested in the ADVA and the commissioner, who will serve at the governor’s “pleasure.”
MYTH: The Senate made significant amendments to the governor’s bill.
REALITY: On Feb. 18, SB 67 supporters announced that the bill would not come before the Senate that day. After Lt. Gov. William Ainsworth (the presiding officer and an opponent of the bill) and several leading opponents left the chamber, the bill sponsor, State Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre), presented Substitute SB 67, telling senators there were substantial changes.
Prior to voting, the senators were given approximately seven minutes to review a 21-page bill they had not previously seen, without permitting any debate, discussion, questions or amendments.
The only change is at the beginning, where the current procedure of choosing SBVA members from nominees by the various veteran service organizations is partially retained. But the almost 40 changes mentioned above in which the SBVA’s functions are either eliminated or reduced to advisory, remain just as before.
The changes are nothing but window-dressing. It doesn’t matter who serves on the SBVA if the board becomes merely the governor’s plaything.
MYTH: Because the governor’s bill makes the commissioner a cabinet-level position, veterans will have better access to the governor.
REALITY: Being on the governor’s cabinet means you attend a cabinet meeting for an hour or so about once a week with two dozen other cabinet officials. You won’t get to say much, if at all, and you could say that without being in the cabinet.
The downside is that the governor can fire a cabinet officer at any time for any reason. How likely is the commissioner to speak his mind, if he could be fired for doing so? Currently, the commissioner is appointed by the SBVA, not the governor, and can be fired by the board only for cause. Veterans have a more forthright and powerful voice in government under the present system than they will if the commissioner becomes a political lackey.
MYTH: The governor’s bill will give the SBVA authority to manage a substantial veterans assistance fund.
REALITY: There has been some discussion about this veteran’s assistance fund, but nothing in the governor’s bill establishes any such fund. It already exists as one of the many funds that are used to operate ADVA, and it is subject to many restrictions as essentially a reserve and special projects fund that also requires finance department and legislature approval for use. At the same time, the bill removes the SBVA’s authority to oversee other funds used to operate state veteran homes, veteran service offices, and GI-dependent scholarship programs, the main functions of the ADVA. Thus, the governor’s bill does not give the SBVA any additional authority and actually removes the vast majority of its fiscal oversight. This is simply more window dressing.
MYTH: Veterans services in Alabama are sadly lacking.
REALITY: Although there clearly are issues with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (e.g. the provision of medical services in some VA hospitals and clinics), services provided by the State of Alabama are generally very good.
And if there are problems with Alabama veteran care, who is more likely to rise up and fix it – a board chosen from Alabama veteran service organizations, or political appointees of the governor?
As Alabama veterans say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
MYTH: The governor’s bill has the support of veterans and veterans organizations across Alabama.
REALITY: Most veterans organizations oppose or refuse to support the bill, including the Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Marine Corps League, and the Military Officers Association of America. The state leadership of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and AMVETS support the bill, but there appears to be widespread opposition among their local posts and members.
At least two former commanders of the Alabama National Guard, Major General Michael H. Sumrall, and Major General James “Buddy” Moore have strongly opposed the governor’s bill.
In our observation, few, if any, issues in recent Alabama history have united veterans as much as their opposition to the governor’s bill.
MYTH: Because Ivey is a Republican, Republicans will support the governor’s bill.
REALITY: Through party influence, promises, arm-twisting and threats, any governor can use his/her political power to swing votes. No one knows what most Republican legislators will do, probably not even they themselves. But many have stood firm.
The Alabama Federation of Republican Women held their annual meeting Feb. 25-27 in Montgomery. An item on their agenda was considering a resolution opposing the governor’s bill. Ivey told them to remove the item; they refused. Ivey then canceled their luncheon at the governor’s mansion. Ainsworth immediately invited the ladies to a luncheon at an alternate location, after which they passed the resolution 98-15.
The ALGOP (Alabama Republican Executive Committee) meeting in Hoover last weekend considered a similar resolution. Because of short notice, the resolution needed a two-thirds vote to pass. It received 61%, not quite the two-thirds needed for passage but a very substantial majority. In most elections, that would be a super-landslide.
Also, the North Central Alabama Republican Assembly recently took a stand against the bill, as have several statewide Republican office-holders. Opposition among Democrat lawmakers is rising.
MYTH: You can’t stop a Republican governor in a Republican state.
REALITY: The governor is not an autocrat, even if she seems to have forgotten that. The bill is now before the House, and a vote could come any day, going either way.
Contact your state legislator, and any other legislators you know. Call your veteran friends, educate them about the bill, and motivate them to act. Forward this column to your email and Facebook address books.
If you have never contacted your legislator before, this is the right occasion. Now is the time to act! Tomorrow may be too late!
Colonel Eidsmoe is a retired U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate (Lt. Colonel), a retired Mississippi State Guard Chaplain (Colonel), a past Commander and present Chaplain for American Legion Pike Road Centennial Post 2019, and a frequent spokesman for Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 607. He may be contacted at [email protected].
Becky Gerritson is Executive Director of Eagle Forum of Alabama and the wife of an Air Force veteran.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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