§ 28-5-713. Grand Junction Veterans One-Stop Center – Advisory Board – Fund – Definition – Repeal

1. 1. On and after November 1, 2018, the division of veterans affairs may operate a veterans one-stop center in Grand Junction for the purpose of providing a central and accessible location where veterans, service members, and their family members in the western portion of the state may have access to assistance and resources. The division shall operate the veterans one-stop center subject to available appropriations from the general assembly. The division may staff the veterans one-stop center with employees of the department of military and veterans affairs, or the division may contract with one or more private vendors for the management of the facility.
   2. Subject to available appropriation to the department of military and veterans affairs for the veterans one-stop center, the department, as a function of the veterans one-stop center, may provide identification cards to eligible military members, retirees, and their family members, which identification cards are issued by the United States department of defense.
   3. As used in this section, “veterans one-stop center” means a facility where government agencies, nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and other organizations collaborate to offer services for veterans and their families in a convenient central location. Services offered at the veterans one-stop center may include, but are not limited to, assistance for veterans in securing federal benefits, counseling services, employment support, education, life skills, and wellness support.
2. On or before November 1, 2018, the division of veterans affairs shall establish an advisory board appointed by the adjutant general or his or designee that includes:
   1. A person representing one or more nonprofit organizations in the Grand Junction area;
   2. A county veterans service officer from the western portion of the state;
   3. A veteran from the western portion of the state;
   4. A family member of a veteran from the western portion of the state; and
   5. A representative of an organization that provides services at the veterans one-stop center.
3. The division, in consultation with the advisory board established pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, shall develop procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of the veterans one-stop center. The division shall provide the procedures and the annual results of the procedures to:
   1. The board of veterans affairs; and
   2. The general assembly as part of the annual report of the department of military and veterans affairs before the house and senate committees of reference pursuant to section 2-7-203.
4. 1. The veterans one-stop center cash fund, referred to in this section as the “fund”, is created in the state treasury. The fund consists of money generated from the public or private use of the veterans one-stop center, including but not limited to money received by the division as lease payments for the former Grand Junction National Guard armory.
   2. The state treasurer shall invest the money in the fund as described in sections 24-36-109, 24-36-112, and 24-36-113. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the fund to the fund.
   3. Any unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year remains in the fund and may not be transferred to the general fund or any other fund.
   4. Subject to available appropriation, the department may use the money in the fund or any money in the general fund to pay the costs of operating the veterans one-stop center, which costs may include, but are not limited to, repair and replacement at the veterans one-stop center and salaries involved in the operation, maintenance, repair, and development of the veterans one-stop center.
   5. The division may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, and donations of any kind from any public or private source for the purpose of operating the veterans one-stop center; except that the division shall not accept a gift, grant, or donation if any conditions attached thereto are contradictory to law or require expenditures from the general fund that have not been approved by the general assembly.
   6. The state treasurer shall transfer all unexpended and unencumbered money in the fund on September 1, 2023, to the Colorado state veterans trust fund created in section 28-5-709.
5. This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2023. Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall review the veterans one-stop center operated by the division pursuant to this section in accordance with section 24-34-104.

Source: L. 2018: Entire section added, (HB 18-1337), ch. 191, p. 1273, § 1, effective April 30.