by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

Veterans organization officials appeared before a Senate committee today (Thursday, March 18) to voice unhappiness over the perceived besmirching of the Support Our Troops license plate.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the intention, but that’s what happening,” Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner of Services Michael Pugliese told the Senate Finance Committee. SEE SLIDESHOW

Sen. Rick Olseen, right, DFL-Harris, and Sen. Don Betzold, left, DFL-Fridley, both carried legislation pertaining to the funding uses and documentation of Support Our Troops license plates, but a Betzold amendment was voted down with the two senators tabling the remaining legislation (Photo by T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter)

Military Order of the Purple Heart Chaplain Richard Jenkins Sr. spoke of the bad being used against the good.

Veterans spoke of negative stories in the media and on the blogosphere hurting the image of the program.

But DFL lawmakers insisted the hearing on interagency agreements was simply an attempt to understand how state agencies cross finance.

Senate Finance Commiteee Chairman Richard Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, spoke of a “blurring of lines” on funding.

Public has right to know, says Sen. Betzold

“I’m sorry the veterans are offended. But the public has the right to know,” said Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, after the hearing.

State interagency agreements date back 40 years, and the Governor’s Office under various governors has struck agreements — a recent change of law has formalized the process with the creation of a special account.

But it was use of $30,000 in funding of Support Our Troops license plate revenue by the veterans affairs department to pay for part-time services from a Governor’s Office staffer that was the focus of much committee time.

Lee Buckley, Special Advisor on Faith and Community Service Initiatives, had been taken on by veterans affairs on a quarter-time basis because of her extensive community contacts, particularly in communities of color, explained Pugliese.

“We used the (license plate) funding for the exact purpose it was created,” he said.

“I would do it again in a second,” he said of making the decision.

Reaching out to veterans in distress

For her part, Buckley spoke of the unfinished task of reaching out to veterans in distress.

She spoke of one veteran, wisely helped by the Farmington Police Department when picked up intoxicated and taken to a facility instead of to jail — as haunted by unresolved issues relating to his military service.

That former solider, who died of a massive heart attack not long after being released, was a member of her family, Buckley explained.

Sen. Steven Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, who expressed regret for having spoken about the license plate funding without fully understanding the background, expressed regret over his words.

“We need a hundred Ms. Buckleys,” he said, adding he holds such people on pedestals. “If I knocked you off that pedestal, I apologize,” said Murphy. But Murphy insisted that Minnesota veterans affairs remains underfunded.

Betzold and Sen. Rick Olseen, DFL-Harris, both had legislation pertaining to uses of the Support Our Troops revenue — Olseen’s bill would have had the $30,000 returned to the license plate account.

Legislation would provide comfort, says Olseen

Olseen spoke of the legislation as providing comfort. “This is not a tax collection. This is a donation,” he said of purchasing the Support Our Troops plates.

But Pugliese and others argued the legislation served only to taint the reputation of the Support Our Troops initiative.

The legislation did not advance.

After the hearing, Betzold said the Pawlenty Administration had been “siphoning” funding from one agency to another.

If an agency required funding, the requests should be made straightforward,Betzold explained.

The hearing wasn’t about the license plate at all, he said.

Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, said the arrangement to have Buckley working part-time for veterans affairs was a “very good deal.”

A Support Our Troops plate costs $18.50, plus a contribution of at least $30.

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