Appropriates $35,500,200 to the Division of Veterans Services for fiscal year 2017; limits the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions to 333; and provides for the transfer of $1,500 from the Federal Grant Fund to the Resident Trust Fund for fiscal year 2016.

Thisisafiscalyear2016supplementalappropriationandthefiscalyear2017originalappropriation for the Division of Veterans Services. For FY 2016, this bill appropriates and transfers $1,500 from the federal grant fund to the resident trust funds to account for losses from the State Treasurer IDLE Pool. For FY 2017 the bill includes adjustments for increased employee benefit costs, statewide cost allocation, funding for the 27th payroll and an ongoing 3% merit-based increase in employee compensation for permanent employees to be distributed at the discretion of the director. This bill also includes $506,300 for inflationary adjustments, and $2,701,300 for one-time replacement items and alteration and repair projects that were requested in the budget as well as for the projects requested from the Permanent Building Fund. This bill includes funding for all six line items. The first two line items provide additional funding to meet personnel needs and reduce agency turnover. The third line item provides for a full-time recreation assistant in the Boise home and a landscape technician at the Boise cemetery. Line item four provides funding for a contract manager to oversee the implementation of a new veterans cemetery in southeastern Idaho. Line item five provides funding for new capital outlay items, and line item six provides funding to various organizations that provide support to disabled veterans.