Substitute Senate Bill 5338 amends RCW 43.60A.080 to establish a veterans affairs advisory committee to advise the governor and the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The committee must appoint liaisons to each state veterans’ home who will share committee meeting and business information with the homes’ resident councils and bring resident issues back to the committee. The committee is set at 17 members appointed by the governor with specific composition rules: three representatives from the three largest congressionally chartered or nationally recognized veterans service organizations (VSOs) in Washington, ten additional members drawn from VSOs and including up to one tribal veteran and up to one current or former member of the Washington National Guard, and four veterans at large. No organization may have more than one official representative at a time, and appointments should ensure geographic representation, minority viewpoints, and representation of women veterans. The committee adopts its order of business, advises on department matters and operations, members receive no salary but are eligible for per diem and mileage under chapter 43.03 RCW. This is a procedural and organizational change to an existing statute (an amendment to RCW 43.60A.080), creating an advisory body and setting appointment, nomination, and term rules. Member terms are four years, vacancy appointments cover only the remainder of the term, and no member may serve more than two consecutive terms; vacancy appointments to unexpired terms do not count as a term. Definitions referenced include “director” (the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs), VSOs as listed in the VA’s Directory of Veterans Service Organizations, and federally recognized Indian tribes. The bill does not create new crimes or change penalties. The provided facts do not include an effective date, the total number of state veterans’ homes affected, the precise numeric breakdown within the ten-member category, or other sections of the bill, so those details are uncertain from the extracted text.

If enacted, the bill creates a 17-member veterans affairs advisory committee that will advise the governor and the state Department of Veterans Affairs, appoint liaisons to each state veterans’ home to pass along committee business and bring resident concerns back, and review department operations to recommend changes. Members will be drawn from major veterans service organizations, veterans at large, one tribal veteran, and one current or former member of the Washington National Guard; members serve four-year terms with a two-term limit, receive no salary but can claim per diem and mileage, and organizations are limited to one official representative on the committee. The people and entities most affected are the governor (who must appoint members), the Department of Veterans Affairs director (who identifies VSO strength, forwards nominations, and works with the committee), congressionally chartered or nationally recognized VSOs (which must provide nominations and will be limited in official representation), and residents and resident councils of state veterans’ homes (who gain formal liaisons and a channel for issues). The state will likely incur modest new costs for per diem and mileage reimbursements; implementation details such as the exact number of homes covered, the precise breakdown of the ten-member category, and the bill’s effective date are not specified in the provided text.