ALEC Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force Charts Path for State-Level Policy Solutions
The New ALEC Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force convened for the first time at the ALEC Annual Meeting.
Last month, more than 60 state legislators and private sector leaders from across the country met in Indianapolis for the inaugural meeting of the ALEC Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force. This Task Force is a brand-new forum for thought leaders to collaborate, share best practices, and develop trusted policy solutions for our veterans and military communities.
The meeting produced the Task Force’s first model policy: the Statement of Principles on Effective Veterans and Military Affairs Policy. This policy establishes a framework for creating impactful state and local veterans and military affairs policies. The principles were approved unanimously by the Task Force and will be used to guide all future model polices.
These principles dictate that all future model policies will be intentionally crafted, complementary to federal efforts, reflective of the honor and respect owed to the military community, and reliably effective. They will also align with the ALEC core principles of limited government, free markets, and federalism. The Task Force believes that these principles will lead to improved veteran outcomes, stronger recruitment and retention, enhanced national security, and greater clarity and consistency for our veterans and military community.
The meeting also featured discussions on pressing issues such as helping service members transition into civilian careers, expanding access to innovative and promising PTSD treatments, improving systems for justice-involved veterans, and strengthening support for military families facing frequent relocations and deployments. As the Task Force continues its collaboration, it will work to develop trusted policy solutions that equip state legislators across the country to address these challenges.
After just seven months, the ALEC Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force is quickly becoming the nation’s premier forum for developing trusted veterans and military affairs policy at the state level. The Task Force already has more than 100 members from across the country and continues to grow rapidly. If you are passionate about developing policy solutions for our veterans and military communities, we would invite you to join us.