§ 20. Women veterans advisory committee. 1. The women veterans
advisory committee is hereby created consisting of twelve members, with
members appointed as follows: (a) six members by the governor; (b) two
members by the temporary president of the senate; (c) two members by the
speaker of the assembly; and (d) one member each by the minority leader
of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly. All appointed
members must be women, and veterans who served in the United States
uniformed services including members of the reserve component. Each
veteran shall have received an honorable discharge or have a qualifying
condition as defined in section one of this article.

2. In making appointments pursuant to subdivision one of this section,
the following shall be considered:

(a) whether the appointments provide a geographical balance between
the urban and rural areas of this state and represent the cultural
diversity of this state; and

(b) the level of activity of the woman in the veteran community.

3. The committee shall elect a chair from among its members.

4. Each member of the committee shall serve a term of four years.

5. A vacancy on the committee shall be filled for the remainder of the
unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.

6. The committee shall meet at least four times per year at the call
of the chair.

7. A majority of the members of the committee appointed constitutes a
quorum.

8. Each member of the committee:

(a) serves without compensation, except that a member of the committee
who is a state officer or employee may receive her regular compensation
while engaging in the business of the committee; and

(b) shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for any actual,
necessary expenses incurred in the course of performing business for the
committee.

9. The committee shall:

(a) support and assist the department of veterans' services and the
women veterans coordinator pursuant to section nineteen of this article
in:

(i) locating, educating and advocating for all women veterans in this
state;

(ii) identifying the unique needs of women veterans;

(iii) conducting outreach and education through various means,
including, without limitation, the organization of statewide women
veterans events, the promotion of benefits and health care for women
veterans and the development of programs that inform students, business
leaders and educators about the important role women play in the
uniformed services of the United States;

(iv) educating women veterans as to benefits and programs that are
available to them;

(v) at least annually, making such recommendations as may be deemed
necessary or advisable to the governor, the state legislature, the
commissioner of the department of veterans' services and such other
offices of this state as may be appropriate;

(vi) making information available regarding job and career
opportunities;

(vii) providing outreach regarding available resources for veterans
with a qualifying condition as defined in section one of this article;
and

(viii) advocating on behalf of women veterans to ensure that the
programs and policies of this state and of the United States department
of veterans' affairs remain open to women and mindful of the elements of
the experience of a veteran that are unique to women.

(b) submit a report on or before February fifteenth of each year,
outlining the activities of the committee during the preceding calendar
year and any recommendations of the committee to the governor and
legislature. The report must include, without limitation, information
pertaining to:

(i) the demographics of women veterans;

(ii) the current contributions that women veterans have made on behalf
of the United States and this state;

(iii) the unique needs of the population of women veterans;

(iv) recommendations regarding what steps should be taken to reduce
misinformation and improve support for programs for women veterans; and

(v) outreach activities undertaken by the committee.

10. The department of veterans' services shall help support the
committee's activities.