SECTION 1. Section 17 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 6 and 7, the words “the board of trustees of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke”, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- the secretary of health and human services, with the approval of the governor.

SECTION 2. Section 40 of said chapter 6 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word “seven” and inserting in place thereof the following number:- 9

SECTION 3. Said section 40 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 2, the word “five” and inserting in place thereof the following number:- 4.

SECTION 4. Said section 40 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “veterans”, in line 3, the following words:- ; at least 2 of whom shall be health care professionals or have experience in health care facility management; the secretary of health and human services, or a designee; and the secretary of the department of veterans’ services, or a designee.  

SECTION 5. Said section 40 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following sentence:-  The superintendent shall be the administrative head of the home and shall report to the secretary of veterans’ services.

SECTION 6. Section 70 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words, “seven persons, who shall be residents of the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 9 persons, 7 of whom shall be residents of the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire.

SECTION 7. Said section 70 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following 3 sentences:- The secretary of health and human services, or a designee, and the secretary of veterans’ services, or a designee, shall serve as ex officio members of the board.  At least 2 members of the board shall be health care professionals or have experience in health care facility management. Upon the expiration of the term of office of a member, the successor shall be appointed by the secretary of health and human services, with approval of the governor, to serve for 7 years.

SECTION 8. Said section 70 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following paragraph:- The secretary of health and human services shall appoint, with the approval of the governor, the superintendent of the soldiers’ home in Holyoke, who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor.  The superintendent shall be the administrative head of the home and shall report to the secretary of veterans’ services.

SECTION 9. Section 71 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second through eighth sentences, inclusive.

SECTION 10. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 73B the following section:-

Section 73C. The Department shall annually inspect all Soldiers’ Homes operated in the Commonwealth pursuant to chapter 115A or more frequently as the Department determines necessary or appropriate.   After every such inspection, the Department shall give the facility notice in writing of every violation of the applicable rules and regulations of the Department and shall specify a reasonable time, not more than 60 days after receipt thereof, to correct such violations or provide a plan to correct such violations within a reasonable time. 

The Department shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this section.

SECTION 11. Section 12 of chapter 115A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(a) There shall be within the department of veterans’ services an assistant secretary for veterans’ homes who shall report to the secretary of veterans’ services and shall have: (i) at least 5 years of management and healthcare experience and (ii) military or other experience working with veterans.  The duties of the assistant commissioner shall include, but not be limited to: (i) coordinating and overseeing implementation and enforcement of laws, regulations and policies relative to the veterans’ homes and other housing for veterans; (ii) investigating and making recommendations on best practices for serving veterans at the veterans’ homes; (iii) monitoring infection control practices, including tracking of any outbreaks, at the veterans’ homes; (iv) actively monitoring the results of surveys conducted at each home and ensuring corrective action is taken promptly, when needed; and (v) attending labor management meetings for both veterans’ homes. The assistant secretary shall have access to all property of the commonwealth under the oversight of the department of veterans’ services to carry out the duties of the department.

SECTION 12.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.