An Act to require counties to hire veteran service officers in proportion to the number of veterans residing in the county.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:

Section 1. That § 33A-1-22 be AMENDED:

33A-1-22. The board of county commissioners of each county in this state shall employ or join with another county or counties in employing a county veterans' service officer who, before such employment takes effect, is approved by the state secretary of veterans affairs. The county veteran's veterans' service officer's first appointment ends on the first Monday in January of the second year subsequent to the year of the appointment. The county veteran's service officer may be reappointed for terms any number of four years for each term. The appointment is subject to removal by the board or boards of county commissioners upon the recommendation of the state secretary of veterans' veterans affairs or for cause.

The board of county commissioners in a county with a resident veteran population greater more than one thousand five hundred and less fewer than four thousand resident veterans, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, shall employ a minimum of one full-time dedicated county veterans' service officer.

The board of county commissioners in a county with one thousand five hundred or fewer resident veterans, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, shall employ a minimum of one part-time dedicated county veterans' service officer, but may employ a full-time dedicated county veterans' service officer for the county or join with another county or with other counties to employ a full-time dedicated county veterans' service officer. The total combined population of resident veterans in the counties joining together to employ a county veterans' service officer shall determine the minimum number of full-time dedicated county veterans' service officers employed by the counties.

The board of county commissioners in a county with a resident veteran population of more than four thousand or more resident veterans, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, shall employ a minimum of two full-time dedicated county veterans' service officers, and shall employ an additional full-time dedicated veterans' service officer for every additional four thousand veterans residing in the county.