Section 1.11. Duties and responsibilities of the secretary.

  The administrative and executive duties of the department shall be vested in the secretary to be administered under the rules and regulations of the department. The secretary shall:

(1)  Employ a commandant for each Wisconsin veterans home, designate an employee of the department as deputy secretary, and appoint such persons as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the department. A person who is employed as a commandant or as an administrator of the division of homes on or after January 1, 2011, shall be licensed as a nursing home administrator under ch. 456 , Stats. , or shall obtain that licensure within 90 days of beginning employment as a commandant or an administrator.

(2)  Administer and supervise all programs of the department.

(3)  Coordinate the activities of the department with all state agencies performing functions relating to services available to veterans so as to make the benefits available as promptly and effectively as possible.

(4)  Administer the program for temporary emergency grants to prevent want and distress and the program for educational grants for veterans.

(5)  Administer the economic assistance and housing loan programs for veterans.

(7)  Compile a record of the burial places within the state of persons who served in the armed forces of the United States in time of war, who were called into service in the 1961 Berlin crisis call-up, whose service entitled them to receive either the armed forces expeditionary medal, the navy expeditionary medal, the marine corps expeditionary medal or the Vietnam service medal, or who served in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama or a Middle East Crisis under s. 45.01 (11) , Stats.

(9)  Direct the operation of the Wisconsin veterans museum so as to make the memorial collection instructive and attractive to visitors to the state capitol and shall directly supervise the curator of the museum.

(10)  Formulate and present the department's budget to the legislature.

(11)  Present to the legislature all proposed legislation and shall make such reports to and appearances before the legislature on such other matters as it may request.

(12)  Supervise all funds of the department, see that proper records are kept, and account for all funds disbursed for any reason whatsoever.

(14)  Conduct an adequate program of public relations for the department.

(15)  Make and establish rules and regulations necessary to carry out the statutes pursuant to the policies established by the department, and make such publication and distribution of these rules and regulations as the secretary may deem necessary.

(16)  Attempt to obtain full collection of all loans and may take all available legal steps to effect collection provided, however, that the secretary shall have the authority to approve compromise settlements in appropriate cases and write-off loans which the department deems uncollectible.

(17)  Administer the functions of the department in a careful and businesslike manner.

History: Cr. Register, March, 1965, No. 111 , eff. 4-1-65; am. intro. par., (4), (5), r. (6), am. (7), Register, October, 1967, No. 142 , eff. 11-1-67; am. (9), Register, November, 1971, No. 191 , eff. 12-1-71; am. Register, January, 1984, No. 337 , eff. 2-1-84; am. (1), (2) and (7), Register, April, 1986, No. 364 , eff. 5-1-86; am. (9), Register, June, 1992, No. 438 , eff. 7-1-92; am. (7), Register, August, 1993, No. 452 , eff. 9-1-93; CR 09-092 : am. (1), r. (8) Register June 2010 No. 654 , eff. 7-1-10; 2013 Wis. Act 189 : am. (intro.), (2), (11), r. (13), am. (15), r. (18) Register April 2014 No. 700 , eff. 5-1-14.