A bill penned by an Eastern Wisconsin Senator aimed at clarifying the rules regarding veteran IDs has taken its first step towards becoming law.
Senate Bill 387, written by Sen. Andre Jacque, passed with bipartisan, unanimous support in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government.
All 50 states currently offer a military veteran designation that can be printed on state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards, including Wisconsin, starting in 2013.
However, questions have arisen on the definition of veteran and who qualifies for the veteran designation based on the nature of their military service.
Senate Bill 387 would define veteran as “a former member of the U.S. armed forces who received a discharge under honorable conditions, or a former member of a reserve unit of the U.S. armed forces or the national guard who met the requirements for satisfactory completion of his or her initial term of obligated service and received a discharge of either honorable or under honorable conditions.”
Sen,. Jacque noted, as the measure passed the day before Veterans’ Day, “We honor and recognize all those who have answered the call of service and have given so much of themselves in defense of America, regardless of whether they served in active duty, in the Reserve, or in the National Guard.”
The bill will now go before the full Assembly before heading to the Senate.
