Amend SB 601 (senate committee printing) as follows:
(1) In SECTION 4 of the bill, strike added Sections 434.0078(c)(2) and (3), Government Code (page 3, lines 32-35), and substitute the following:
(2) number of veterans who requested claims assistance services at a claims assistance services office and failed to receive assistance the same day;
(3) percentage of veterans described by Subdivision (2) who received assistance at a later date; and
(4) quality of claims prepared at each of the claims assistance services offices.
(2) Strike SECTION 6 of the bill (page 3, line 65, through page 4, line 19) and substitute the following:
SECTION 6. Section 434.033, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (c-1), (c-2), and (c-3) to read as follows:
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c-2), to [To] be appointed as an officer a person must:
(1) be qualified by education and training for the duties of the office;
(2) be experienced in the law, regulations, and rulings of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs controlling cases that come before the commission; and
(3) have the service experience specified by Subsection (c) or be:
(A) a [widowed] Gold Star mother, father, or spouse [Mother or unremarried widow] of a person who died while serving in the United States armed forces [serviceman or veteran whose death resulted from service];
(B) the spouse of a disabled veteran who has a total disability rating based either on having a service-connected disability with a disability rating of 100 percent or on individual unemployability; or
(C) the spouse of a retired veteran who served a minimum of 20 years on active duty.
(c-1) Before selecting an individual for appointment as an officer, a commissioners court described by Subsection (a) shall solicit applications from individuals interested in being appointed as an officer, including by posting notice for at least 30 consecutive days on:
(1) the commission's Internet website; and
(2) the online system for listing state agency employment openings maintained by the Texas Workforce Commission.
(c-2) If the commissioners court is unable to appoint an individual who meets the requirements under Subsection (b)(3), the commissioners court may apply to the commission for approval to appoint an individual who does not meet those requirements. The commission shall approve the appointment if the commissioners court provides to the commission:
(1) proof that the commissioners court posted notice soliciting applications on the commission's Internet website and the online system described by Subsection (c-1)(2) for at least 90 days; or
(2) other proof as determined by commission rule.
(c-3) The commission may assist a commissioners court in soliciting applications under Subsection (c-1) by advertising the solicitation to local workforce centers.
(3) Strike SECTION 7 of the bill (page 4, lines 20 and 21) and renumber the SECTIONS of the bill accordingly.