Bill Text: TX SB493 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to qualifications for certain individuals for veterans benefits.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-18 - Effective immediately [SB493 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB493-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 493 | ||
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| relating to qualifications for certain individuals for veterans | ||
| benefits. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 434.029 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 434.029. CERTAIN VETERANS QUALIFIED FOR BENEFITS. (a) | ||
| In this section, "COVID-19" means the 2019 novel coronavirus | ||
| disease. | ||
| (b) For purposes of determining qualifications for any | ||
| veterans benefits or services from the state, a former member of the | ||
| United States armed forces who received a less than honorable | ||
| discharge due to the individual's refusal to receive a vaccination | ||
| against COVID-19 shall be considered to have received an honorable | ||
| discharge. | ||
| (c) For a discharge of a former member of the United States | ||
| armed forces to be considered honorable under Subsection (b), the | ||
| former member of the United States armed forces must prove to the | ||
| Texas Veterans Commission that the individual's refusal to receive | ||
| a vaccination against COVID-19 was the sole reason for the | ||
| individual's less than honorable discharge. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 493 passed the Senate on | ||
| March 28, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 2. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 493 passed the House on | ||
| May 22, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 126, Nays 14, one | ||
| present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
