Senate Bill No. 143

(By Senators Prezioso, Bowman, Sprouse, Minear, McKenzie, Unger, Caldwell, Fanning, Smith, Weeks, Hunter, McCabe, White, Rowe, Jenkins, Minard, Snyder, Sharpe, Ross, Dempsey, Love, Deem, Facemyer, Oliverio, Edgell and Kessler)

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[Introduced January 13, 2003; 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.