Veterans' Issues

Veterans' Legislation

Veterans' Legislation

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SB 15 (Cedillo-D) Student financial aid
Entitles a student, commencing with the 2010-11 academic year, who is a member or former member of the Armed Forces of the United States and is enrolled in a qualifying undergraduate certificate or degree program, to receive a Cal Grant A or B award, provided they enroll within two years of leaving active duty and meet other specified criteria. Requires the California Student Air Commission (CSAC) to make preliminary awards to all eligible applicants and to annually audit ten percent of the new and renewal awards for compliance. Requires CSAC to submit an annual report to the Legislature.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 285 (Wright-D) Veterans: disability benefits: attachment
Provides that federal disability benefits awarded to veterans for service-connected disabilities pursuant to Chapter 11 of Title 38 of the United States Code shall be exempt from the claims of creditors, and shall not be liable to attachment, levy, or seizure by or under any legal or equitable process whatever, as provided by federal law.
Chapter 162, Statutes of 2009

SB 361 (Runner-R) Public postsecondary education: priority registration
Makes changes to existing law giving veterans priority registration at a California State University or California Community Colleges, by limiting priority admission to honorably discharged veterans only. Adds the California National Guard to the definition of Armed Forces.
Chapter 351, Statutes of 2009

SB 418 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Department of Veterans Affairs: contracts
Makes technical and clarifying changes to existing law regarding the use of General Fund monies for contracts with veterans service organizations for services they provide to veterans.
Chapter 48, Statutes of 2009

SB 419 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) County veteran service officers: funding
Changes current legislative findings and declarations by declaring that 50% of the amount annually budgeted for county veteran service officers is approximately $11 million.
Chapter 183, Statutes of 2009

SB 469 (Aanestad-R) Veterans' cemeteries: fees
Authorizes the fee for the interment of the spouses and children of honorably discharged veterans in state-owned and operated cemeteries to be waived if the cemetery administrator determines that the families of the spouses or children do not have sufficient means to pay for the costs of interment.
Chapter 589, Statutes of 2009

SB 548 (Huff-R) California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program
Requires an awarding state department, upon completion of an awarded contract for which a commitment to achieve a disabled veteran business enterprise goal was made, to require the prime contractor that entered into a subcontract with a disabled veteran business enterprise to certify to the awarding department certain information pertaining to the contract, and that all payments under the contract have been made to the disabled veteran business enterprise. Requires an awarding department to keep that certification on file. Specifies that a person or entity that knowingly provides false information is subject to a civil penalty and that an action for a civil penalty may be brought by any public prosecutor in the name of the people of the State of California.
Chapter 595, Statutes of 2009

SB 595* (Cedillo-D) Homeless Veterans Housing & Supportive Services Act of 2010
Enacts the Homeless Veterans Housing and Supportive Services Act of 2010, authorizing the issuance of $1.5 billion in general obligation bonds to provide funds for supportive housing projects for homeless veterans or veterans at risk of homelessness. The Act will only become operative if approved by the voters at the 11/2/10 statewide general election.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 611 (Correa-D) Student financial aid: Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards
Authorizes a student whose tuition and/or fees are paid in full by a grant-in-aid, including education benefits received through federal programs for veterans, to use a Cal Grant A Entitlement Award for costs other than tuition or fees, but not to exceed $1,551.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 643 (Denham-R) Disabled veterans business
Includes a disabled veteran business enterprise, as defined under the California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program, among the entities to whom higher penalties are payable under the California Prompt Payment Act.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 644 (Denham-R) Civil service examinations: veterans' preference
Increases the veterans' preference points provided on open, non-promotional state civil service entrance examinations from 10 to 15 points for disabled veterans; and from five to 10 points for all other veterans.
Chapter 357, Statutes of 2009

SB 645 (Denham-R) Military facilities: public higher education
Declares that nothing in California law prohibits the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges, from coordinating with the United States Armed Forces to establish training programs at military facilities.
Vetoed

SB 646 (Denham-R) Veterans and dependents: student financial aid:
Prohibits campuses of the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges from charging any mandatory system fees to California members of the armed services who were honorably discharged and have no more remaining months the of Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) eligibility. Provides that these fee waivers will be operative only in those fiscal years in which funds are appropriated for the purpose.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 809* (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Sales and use taxes: consumers: veterans: itinerant vendors
Specifies, that United States itinerant veteran vendors will be regarded as consumers, rather than retailers, of tangible personal property that they sell, except for alcoholic beverages or items sold for more than $100. Sunsets 1/1/12.
Chapter 621, Statutes of 2009

SB 818 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) California State Military Museum and Resource Center
Requires the annual audit report and business plan prepared by the Board of Directors of the California State Military Foundation, which operates the California State Military Museum and Resource Center, to be submitted by March 15 of each year. Makes several similar changes which are meant to update language in the Military and Veterans Code to reflect the change in the name of the Museum to the California State Military Museum.
Chapter 623, Statutes of 2009

SR 18 (Denham-R) Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
Designates 3/3/09 to be Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, and urges all Californians to remember those servicemen and women who served their country during the Vietnam War era and to those who continue to protect our country.
Adopted by the Senate

AB 343 (Saldana-D) Military families: pupils
Enacts, until 1/1/13, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which addresses issues experienced by children of military families who transfer schools.
Chapter 237, Statutes of 2009

AB 425 (Cook-R) Military: vehicles: registration: reissuance fee exemption
Exempts, beginning 1/1/11, members of the California National Guard and the United States Armed Forces from the fee for reinstating the registration of a vehicle, if the cancellation of the vehicle registration occurred while the service member was on active duty outside of California during a time of war.
Chapter 107, Statutes of 2009

AB 498 (Hayashi-D) Veterans: affordable housing
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to collaborate with the Department of Housing and Community Development to facilitate the development of multifamily housing for military veterans and their families.
(In Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 563* (Cook-R) Income tax: Military Family Relief Fund: contributions
Requires monies transferred to the California Military Family Relief Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature and after allocation to the Franchise Tax Board and the State Controller, to be allocated to the state Military Department for the establishment of financial aid grants provided to California National Guard members and reserve members of the Armed Forces of the United States, as specified.
Chapter 451, Statutes of 2009

AB 565 (Yamada-D) Department of Veterans Affairs: study: veterans benefits
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, on or before 5/1/10, to conduct an internal study to evaluate the process by which active duty service men and women receive information regarding veterans benefits, as specified. Requires the department to submit a report to the Legislature.
(In Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 589 (Cook-R) Incarcerated veterans: assistance
Authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or a local law enforcement agency to contract with county veterans service officers in a county where a state or local correctional facility is located to assist incarcerated veterans, as specified, and their dependents in presenting and pursuing claims against the United States arising out of war service and in establishing the veterans' and dependents' right to any privilege, preference, care, or compensation they may be entitled to. Specifies that the department or the local enforcement agency may, pursuant to the contract, compensate a county veterans service officer for the assistance provided at a rate of no more than $20,000 annually, and that no more than six correctional facilities may be the subject of such contracts.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 638 (Knight-R) Veterans: CalVet Home Loan program: credit report check
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to waive any requirement to run a credit report check for honorably discharged veterans applying for a loan under the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974.
(In Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 670 (Bill Berryhill-R) Veterans: vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes:
Permits a veteran or active duty member of the United States Armed Forces to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes, regardless of occupancy level.
(Failed passage in Assembly Transportation Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 674 (Salas-D) Veterans: criminal procedure
Establishes a deferred entry of judgment program and a pre-conviction drug diversion program for veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.
(In Assembly Public Safety Committee)

AB 702 (Salas-D) Veterans: homeless
Requires the Department of Housing and Community Development each year to set aside a portion of Emergency Housing Assistance Program - Operations Grant funds that is equal to the percentage of veterans within the homeless population for veterans-only projects or projects that give preference to veterans.
(In Senate Transportation and Housing Committee)

AB 710 (Yamada-D) Veterans: mental health
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to consult with the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs to identify federal funds available for funding community-based organizations that provide substance abuse and mental health services to veterans, as specified.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 716 (Huber-D) Veteran services: state agencies and departments
Provides that the Employment Development Department (EDD) and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), make available in their field offices brochures, forms, and posters in order to inform veterans of benefits and services. Requires the EDD and the DMV to collect and send any voluntarily completed forms to the DVA on at least a quarterly basis, and to add a link to their Internet Web sites that will direct parties to the DVA Internet Web site.
Vetoed

AB 717 (Cook-R) Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
Requires the Governor to annually proclaim March 30 of each year as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, and encourages schools to conduct exercises on March 30 of each year to recognize the contributions of those involved in the Vietnam conflict.
Chapter 158, Statutes of 2009
A similar bill was AB 264 (Cook-R) which was vetoed.

AB 776 (Salas-D) Veterans
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to urge the Congress of the United States to act immediately to remove a requirement from federal law which requires the proceeds from certain tax-exempt bonds to be used for the acquisition of a single-family residence so that the proceeds from the bonds can be used for other types of housing.
(In Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 1013 (Block-D) Veteran inmates
Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, by 7/1/10, to conduct interdisciplinary assessments of new inmates who are veterans with combat experience and develop a specialized treatment protocol for these offenders.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1051 (Fletcher-R) Veterans: Pooled Self-Insurance Fund
Consolidates the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Home Loan Program with four insurance reserve funds into the Pooled Self-Insurance Fund (Pooled Fund), and allows the DVA to purchase insurance related to the Program from the monies appropriated from the Pooled Fund. Also maintains the four reserve funds as sub-funds within the Pooled Fund and requires that any internal sub-fund borrowing be repaid in full within three years. Requires the DVA to report annually to the Legislature on the status of the Pooled Fund and that the sub-funds be subject audit.
Chapter 502, Statutes of 2009

AB 1077* (Anderson-R) Military retirement benefits: income tax exclusion
Provides an exclusion from gross income for retired pay and survivor annuities received as a result of active service in the military.
(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1330 (Salas-D) Veterans: pilot project: cooperative housing
Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot project for the purpose of establishing a cooperative housing project, in which the department prescribes the rules, regulations, and conditions necessary to implement the pilot project. Requires that any cooperative housing project established pursuant to those provisions be restricted for use and occupancy by military veterans and their families for a period of at least 55 years.
Chapter 524, Statutes of 2009

AB 1332 (Salas-D) Military housing: taxation
Expands the property tax exemption currently provided to operators of family housing on military bases to include non-family housing, such as bachelor quarters and barracks, and also strengthens existing-law requirements that all property tax savings be used for the benefit of residents.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1344 (Fletcher-R) Military housing: taxation
Modifies the criteria that must be met for a private contractor's long-term lease of military housing to be excluded from classification as a possessory interest subject to property taxation.
(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1378 (V. Manuel Perez-D) Veterans Workforce Program
Establishes the Veterans Workforce Program within the California Workforce Investment Board for the purposes of providing a comprehensive workforce development program to assist veterans with the transition to civilian work.
(In Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 1459 (Davis-D) Multifamily Housing Program: veterans
Allows housing developers receiving funding under the Department of Housing and Community Development's Supportive Housing Program to restrict occupancy based on veteran status, as specified.
Chapter 533, Statutes of 2009

AB 1571 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: mental health services: county plans
Requires the Department of Mental Health to inform the Department of Veterans Affairs of services intended specifically for veterans in county mental health plans. Requires the inclusion of veterans or representatives from veterans' organization in the development or update of local mental health plans.
Chapter 546, Statutes of 2009

AB 12XXXX* (Evans-D) Veterans: budget trailer bill
Among other provisions, (1) removes the income caps on members' fees for all levels of care at California Veterans Homes, establishes a separate fee structure for the Residential Care for the Elderly level-of-care in which the member income contribution percentage is set to 55%, and sets a new level of members' fees for non-veteran spouses who enter veteran's homes on or after 7/1/09, and (2) establishes the California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program to enhance retention within the California National Guard. The Student Aid Commission is required to, in consultation with the Military Department, adopt emergency rules and regulations for the purposes of implementing the program and report annually to the Legislature regarding program participants. This program will only become operative upon an appropriation by the Legislature. Requires that Workforce Investment Funds designated for veterans must be distributed to entities focusing on veterans who demonstrate the knowledge, experience and capacity to serve veterans.
Chapter 12, Statutes of 2009-10, Fourth Extraordinary Session
The provisions regarding the National Guard Education Assistance Award Program, are also in SB 647 (Denham-R) which is in Senate Appropriations Committee and SB 815 (Cogdill-R) which is in Assembly Higher Education Committee.

ACR 60 (Gilmore-R) Medal of Honor Recipient Larry Stanley Pierce Memorial Hwy
Designates a specified portion of State Highway Route 46 as the Medal of Honor Recipient Larry Stanley Pierce Memorial Highway. Requests the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
Resolution Chapter 68, Statutes of 2009

ACR 81 (Torrico-D) Yellow Ribbon Week
Declares the week of 6/29/09 through 7/5/09 as Yellow Ribbon Week to show support for military families and for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Resolution Chapter 82, Statutes of 2009

AJR 25 (Furutani-D) Veterans: Filipino family reunification.
Requests the Legislature to join the Congress of the United States in further acknowledging the service of Filipino World War II veterans in the Armed Forces of the United States by recognizing that these veterans should be reunited with their children during their golden years, and requests that the President and the Congress of the United States pass S. 1337 and H.R. 2412, which exempts children of certain Filipino World War II veterans from the numerical limitations on immigrant visas, thus allowing for family reunification.
(Unassigned to a committee)

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