S1906 —

S1906 SMV Statement 11/18/19 SENATE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE   STATEMENT TO   SENATE, No.

1906  STATE OF NEW JERSEY 218th LEGISLATURE   INTRODUCEDDATED: FEBRUARY 22, 2018     Sponsored by:

Senator  NOVEMBER JAMES18, BEACH2019 District  6      (BurlingtonThe Senate Military and Camden)Veterans  Affairs Co-SponsoredCommittee by:reports favorably Senate Bill No.

Senator1906. A.R.Bucco         SYNOPSIS      Allows veteran or personal representative to withdraw honorable discharge papers from county clerk.

       CURRENTCurrently, VERSIONveterans OFmay TEXTfile     their Ashonorable introduced.discharge papers, commonly known as DD-214 forms, with the county clerk for safekeeping if they so choose.  The law is silent, however, on whether veterans may withdraw such forms from the county clerk once they have been filed.  This bill clarifies the law, allowing veterans, or a person designated by a veteran as a personal representative, to withdraw such papers from the county clerk at any time.

   An Act concerning veterans' honorable discharge papers and amending R.S.38:25-5.

       Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

       1.    R.S.38:25-5 is amended to read as follows:

     38:25-5.   Each county clerk, or the register of deeds in counties having the same, shall record, without costs, when delivered to him for that purpose, in large and bound books of good paper to be provided for that purpose, and carefully preserved and indexed, and to be called and backed "honorable discharges of veterans," the honorable discharge or the certificate in lieu of an honorable discharge, and the record of service or notice of separation showing the record of service, as issued by the proper governmental agency of the Federal Government, of [any soldier, sailor, marine or nurse who has or may hereafter serve in the army, navy, marine or air corps] a person who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States, or a reserve component thereof, or of [any] a member of the American Merchant Marine during World War II who is declared by the United States Department of Defense to be eligible for federal veterans' benefits.

     A veteran, or a person designated by the veteran as the veteran's personal representative, may withdraw the honorable discharge, certificate in lieu of an honorable discharge, record of service, or notice of separation showing the record of service from the county clerk at any time.

(cf:  P.L.1991, c.389, s.18)        2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

    STATEMENT        Currently, veterans may file their honorable discharge papers, commonly known as DD-214 forms, with the county clerk for safekeeping if they so choose.  The law is silent, however, on whether veterans may withdraw such forms from the county clerk once they have been filed.  This bill clarifies the law, allowing veterans, or a person designated by a veteran as a personal representative, to withdraw such papers from the county clerk at any time.