There is created the Board of Trustees for the Veterans' Trust Fund of South Carolina composed of nineteen members. The board shall utilize the staff of the Veterans' Affairs Department in order to carry out its duties, as provided in Section 25-21-30. One member of the board of trustees must be the Director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint individuals to fill the remaining positions on the board of trustees. Of the eighteen remaining positions filled by gubernatorial appointment, four must be county veterans' affairs officers and five must represent veterans' service organizations. At least eleven of the members of the board of trustees must be United States Armed Forces veterans who were honorably discharged; the remaining members are not required to be veterans; however, if any are veterans, they also must have been honorably discharged from the armed services. The members of the board shall elect officers from among themselves as necessary.

Individuals appointed by the Governor shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor and may be removed by the Governor at any time.

Members of the board who are not full-time employees of the State of South Carolina or any of its political subdivisions may be paid per diem, mileage, and subsistence at rates established by the board, not to exceed standards provided by law for state boards, commissions, and committees. Per diem, mileage, and subsistence may be paid to members of the board only for travel and costs incurred due to meetings of the board.

A complete report of the activities of the Veterans' Trust Fund must be made to the General Assembly annually.

HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 90, Section 1; 2000 Act No. 288, Section 3; 2002 Act No. 167, Section 1; 2005 Act No. 164, Section 19.

Code Commissioner's Note

Pursuant to the directive to the Code Commissioner in 2019 Act No. 26, Section 4(C), "Veterans' Affairs Department" was substituted for "Veterans' Affairs Division" and "Department of Veterans' Affairs" was substituted for "Office of Veterans' Affairs".

Editor's Note

The 2019 amendment to Section 25-11-20 provided that the Governor shall appoint a Secretary, rather than a Director, to lead the Department of Veterans' Affairs.