38A:3-1.1. Findings, declarations

The Legislature finds and declares:

a. Since the establishment of this State more than 200 years ago, New Jersey's veterans have maintained their proud allegiance to the United States and have fought and died to preserve and protect our freedom and way of life;

b. Presently there are approximately 900,000 veterans with service in time of war or conflict residing in New Jersey, including more than 10,000 World War I veterans, 406,000 World War II veterans, 202,000 veterans of the Korean conflict, 203,000 veterans of the Vietnam conflict, 30,000 women veterans, and veterans of the Lebanon and Grenada peacekeeping missions;

c. The Departments of Higher Education, Human Services, Labor, and Treasury provide special services and benefits to these veterans and their dependents;

d. The Department of Human Services, which is the principal government agency that serves this State's veterans, has done an especially commendable job attending to this special group of residents;

e. Yet while 23 states in the United States have a separate cabinet-level Department of Veterans' Affairs, New Jersey lacks an executive department which is concerned primarily with the needs and problems of veterans in this State;

f. It is in the public interest to incorporate various services and programs which pertain specifically to veterans and their dependents into an executive department which can serve their needs more efficiently than is possible at present.

L. 1987, c. 444, s. 1.