Senate Bill No. 449
(By Senator Prezioso, Oliverio, Bowman, Redd, Kessler, Edgell,
Unger, Rowe, Helmick, Fanning, Minard, Anderson, McCabe,
Snyder, Sharpe, Ross, Mitchell, Love, Hunter, Caldwell,
McKenzie, Facemyer, Burnette, Sprouse, Jackson, Plymale,
Craigo and Tomblin, Mr. President)
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[Introduced January 30, 2002; referred to the Committee
on Military; and then to the Committee on Education.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section thirty-four, article two,
chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand
nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to providing
high school diplomas to veterans who left school prior to
high school graduation due to service in the military.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section thirty-four, article two, chapter eighteen of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one,
as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-2-34. High school diplomas for World War I, World War II,
Korean Conflict, and Vietnam Conflict veterans.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the
contrary, the state board shall provide for the awarding of high
school diplomas, either by the county board in the county in
which the veteran resides or the county in which the veteran
would have received his or her diplomas, whichever location the
veteran chooses, to any surviving World War I veteran and any
World War II, Korean Conflict or Vietnam Conflict veteran who:
(1) Left elementary or middle grades through high school
prior to graduation and served in the armed forces of the United
States;
(2) Did not receive a high school diploma;
(3) Was discharged from the armed services under honorable
conditions; and
(4) Completes the application process as provided by the
joint rules of the state board and the veterans' council.
(b) The state board and the veterans' council, created in
article one, chapter nine-a of this code, shall jointly
promulgate rules for the identification of eligible veterans and
for the awarding of high school diplomas. The rules shall
provide for an application process and the credentials required
to receive the high school diplomas.
(c) For purposes of this section:
(1) "World War I veteran" means any veteran who:
(A) Performed wartime service between April sixth, one
thousand nine hundred seventeen, and November eleventh, one
thousand nine hundred eighteen; or
(B) Has been awarded the World War I Victory Medal;
(2) "World War II veteran" means any veteran who performed
wartime service between September sixteenth, one thousand nine
hundred forty, and December thirty-first, one thousand nine
hundred forty-six;
(3) "Korean Conflict veteran" means any veteran who
performed military service between June twenty-seventh, one
thousand nine hundred fifty, and January thirty-first, one
thousand nine hundred fifty-five; and
(4) "Vietnam Conflict veteran" means any veteran who
performed military service between February twenty-eighth, one
thousand nine hundred sixty-one, and May seventh, one thousand
nine hundred seventy-five.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to
provide high school
diplomas to veterans who did not graduate from high school and
left elementary or middle grades through twelfth grade prior to
graduation for service in the military.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.