Veterans' Issues

Veterans' Legislation

Veterans' Legislation

SB 101 (Johannessen-R) California Veterans Board

Removes the Secretary of the State Department of Veterans Affairs as a member of the California Veterans Board (CVB) and replaces the secretary with an additional member appointed to the CVB by the Governor.

Chapter 219, Statutes of 2000

SB 183* (Johannessen-R) County veterans service officers: disbursements to counties

Appropriates $4,100,000 annually from the General Fund to the State Department of Veterans Affairs to fund the activities of county veterans' service offices.

(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 224 (Baca-D) Seniors', Veterans', and Disabled Health Care Protection Act

Establishes the Seniors', Veterans', and Disabled Health Care Protection Act of 1999, which, among other things, requires the State Department of Health Services to license and regulate nurses' registries, other than those providing private duty nursing employment services.

(Died in Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 1362* (Poochigian-R) Disabled veterans' exemption

Raises the income limit for disabled veterans to claim higher property tax exemptions and allows for retroactive exemption claims, as specified. Double-joined with SB 2195 (Soto-D), which deletes the sunset date for the higher exemption amount.

Chapter 1085, Statutes of 2000

Similar legislation was SB 1393* (Leslie-R), which died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

SB 1411 (Johannessen-R) California Veterans Board: operation

Makes changes to the annual reporting date of the California Veterans Board to the Legislature from September 1 to October 1. Prescribes other related matters.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1454 (Chesbro-D) Veterans' homes: residents' rights

Establishes the right of veterans residing in a veterans' home to complain to the administrator about home accommodations and services without fear of reprisal. Requires the administrator to inform residents of this right and to post a notice of the right in the homes. Makes other related changes.

Chapter 301, Statutes of 2000

SB 1478 (Chesbro-D) Veterans cemetery: north bay site

Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs, in voluntary cooperation with the Sonoma City Council, to design, develop and construct a state-owned and operated North Bay Veterans Cemetery in the City of Sonoma.

(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1635 (Schiff-D) Veterans Memorial Registry

Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain an on-line statewide registry of veterans' memorials which provides the location and condition of each memorial.

Chapter 392, Statutes of 2000

SB 1681* (Senate Budget And Fiscal Review Committee) Budget Act of 2000

Reappropriates, among other things, funds appropriated to the State Department of Veterans Affairs for the Santa Clarita Historical Veterans Memorial to the department for the City of Santa Clarita Historical Veterans Memorial.

Chapter 672, Statutes of 2000 - Item Vetoed

SB 1717 (Chesbro-D) California Veterans Board

Requires that one of the seven members of the California Veterans Board must also be a resident of a California Veterans Home.

Chapter 304, Statutes of 2000

SB 1815* (McPherson-R) Central Coast Veterans Cemetery

Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs and Monterey County to develop a master plan for a state-owned and operated Central Coast Veterans Cemetery on the grounds of the former Fort Ord, establishes the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Master Development Fund, and appropriates $140,000 from the General Fund for that purpose.

Chapter 771, Statutes of 2000

Similar legislation was SB 467* (McPherson-R), which died in Assembly Appropriations Committee and SB 2102* (McPherson-R), which died in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

SB 2110 (Knight-R) Disabled veterans: contracting preferences

Requires state agencies, in evaluating bid submissions, to give a five percent preference until January 2004 to bids by any disabled veteran business enterprise that is a prime contractor.

(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 2195* (Soto-D) Property taxation: veterans' exemption

Eliminates the January 1, 2001 reduction in the existing disabled veterans' property tax exemption. Double-joined with SB 1362 (Poochigian-R).

Chapter 1086, Statutes of 2000

SCR 47 (Morrow-R) University of California: Veterans Day

Requests the Regents of the University of California to designate November 11 as a Veterans Day holiday for both staff and students.

(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SCR 52 (Rainey-R) Veterans of Foreign Wars Month

Proclaims the month of October 1999 as Veterans of Foreign Wars Month.

(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SCR 55 (Johannessen-R) POW Recognition Day

Proclaims April 9, 2000, as POW Recognition Day in California.

Resolution Chapter 41, Statutes of 2000

SCR 56 (Johannessen-R) 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War

Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Resolution Chapter 42, Statutes of 2000

SJR 25 (Solis-D) Filipino veterans of World War II: veterans' benefits

Urges the President and Congress to grant full veterans' benefits to Filipino veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

Resolution Chapter 116, Statutes of 2000

AB 274 (Baldwin-R) Veterans: actuarial study

Requires the Secretary of the State Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to conduct, or cause to be conducted, an actuarial study of the life and disability insurance coverage for the purchasers of farms and homes under the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974. Requires the Secretary of the DVA to submit copies of the study to specified legislative committees on or before July 1, 2001.

(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

AB 938* (Dutra-D) Escheat: military awards

Exempts all escheated property consisting of military awards and decorations delivered to the Controller from public sale, and requires that the subject military awards and decorations be held in trust for the Controller at the California National Guard Museum and Resource Center.

Chapter 16, Statutes of 2000

AB 1167 (Frusetta-R) County veteran service officers: disbursements to counties

Extends the state funding capabilities for county veteran service officers (CVSOs) from January 1, 2001 to January 1, 2006. Specifies that if this extension is not made the state's share of CVSO funding capability will be eliminated.

Chapter 11, Statutes of 2000

AB 1226 (Runner-R) Veterans homes: nursing care

Continuously appropriates $12 million from the Veterans' Home Fund for funding of the state's matching requirement for the construction of a new Veterans' Home of California in Lancaster, in the County of Los Angeles.

Vetoed by the Governor

Similar legislation was SB 1546 (Knight-R), which died in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1527* (Briggs-R) Vehicle license fees: exemption: veterans

Provides an exemption from the Vehicle License Fee for vehicles owned by any Pearl Harbor survivor, recipient of the Purple Heart, or one of the nation's highest decorations of valor, as specified. Sunsets on December 31, 2005.

(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1583 (Baldwin-R) Veterans special license plates: revenues

Requires that, after deduction of costs incurred by the State Department of Motor Vehicles, $1 for each license plate issued be transmitted by the department to the veteran's organization whose distinctive design or decal appears on the plate. Specifies that of the remaining revenue, one-half shall be deposited in the Veterans Service Office Fund and one-half shall be deposited in the California Environmental License Plate Fund.

(Died in Assembly Transportation Committee)

AB 1632 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans' Home of California

Recasts provisions of existing law relating to veterans' home property to require that the property be for the exclusive use and benefit of the home and for specified persons residing in the home. Requires any cemetery that is situated on the site of the home to be regularly and appropriately maintained.

(Died in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 1651 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Parks and recreation: disabled veterans: pass program

Expands the Disabled Veterans pass program to include persons with a 50 percent (or greater) service-related disability.

Chapter 499, Statutes of 2000

AB 1739 (Bock-I) Educational opportunities for veterans

Requires the Student Aid Commission, in consultation with the State Department of Veterans Affairs, to conduct a study on the needs of veterans in higher education.

Chapter 572, Statutes of 2000

AB 1978* (Cedillo-D) SSP benefits for veterans

Permits certain veterans who served in military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II and who live in California to return to the Philippines and continue to receive benefits under State Supplementary Program, if they were receiving those benefits on December 14, 1999.

Chapter 143, Statutes of 2000

AB 2092 (Reyes-D) Disabled veterans: benefit eligibility

Allows a disabled veteran to retroactively file for disabled veterans' benefits, including the disabled property tax exemption, if the delay in filing is due to a delay by the federal government in issuing a disability rating.

Chapter 575, Statutes of 2000

AB 2212 (Frusetta-R) National World War II Veterans Memorial

Establishes the National World War II Veterans Memorial Trust Fund and allows taxpayers to designate their own funds on their personal income tax returns to that fund. Specifies that this checkoff will become operative following the removal of another voluntary contribution fund from the tax form.

Chapter 577, Statutes of 2000

Similar legislation was AB 1269 (Pescetti-R), which died in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2305* (Dutra-D) Veterans' Bond Act of 2000

Authorizes the issuance of a $500 million general obligation bond to be used to finance the California Veteran Farm, Home and Mobilehome Purchase Assistance Program. The Veterans' Bond Act of 2000 is to be placed on the November 2000 ballot.

Chapter 51, Statutes of 2000

AB 2561* (Zettel-R) Income taxes: credit: military retirement benefits

Provides a gross income exclusion for retirement benefits received by an individual who served in active duty as a member of the United States armed forces and (upon that individual's death) by his/her surviving spouse.

(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 2674 (Wayne-D) Veterans cemeteries

Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a statewide feasibility study concerning state-owned and state-operated veterans cemeteries. Requires the feasibility study to be submitted to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2001.

(Died in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 2734 (Cox-R) Vehicles: disabled veterans

Removes, for purposes of qualifying for the disabled veterans exemption from vehicle license fees and vehicle registration fees, the requirement that the 100 percent disability substantially impair or interfere with the person's mobility.

(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2866* (Migden-D) State government

Requires, among other things, the State Department of General Services to renovate the Lincoln Theater at the Yountville Veteran's Home. Authorizes the Adjutant General of the State Department of the Military to establish, in cooperation with the City of Oakland and a school district, an Oakland Military Institute charter school, which is to be a college preparatory nonresidential military style academy for low-achievers with a disadvantaged background. Requires a dollar-for-dollar match of state funds. Appropriates $1.3 million for purposes of enacting these provisions.

Chapter 127, Statutes of 2000 - Item Vetoed

AB 2933* (Dutra-D) Cal-Vet Loan Program

Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to establish all systems, procedures, technologies and guidelines necessary to achieve the efficient processing of Cal-Vet loan applications, with the intent of obtaining loan delivery with an average of 30 days. Specifies that DVA will promulgate all regulations necessary to implement expediting the loan process by October 30, 2000.

Chapter 534, Statutes of 2000

ACR 94 (Floyd-D) Cal-Vet loan program

Urges the State Department of Veterans Affairs to resolve a pending lawsuit alleging the improper transfer of life and disability insurance reserves to other purposes.

(Died in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

ACR 98 (Baugh-R) U.S. Submarine Veterans of W.W.II Memorial Highway

Designates a specified portion of State Highway Route 1 between Long Beach and Huntington Beach as the U.S. Submarine Veterans of W.W.II Memorial Highway.

Resolution Chapter 103, Statutes of 2000

ACR 111 (Kaloogian-R) Veterans Week

Designates the week of November 5 to November 11, inclusive, of each year as "Veterans Week."

(Died in Assembly Rules Committee)

ACR 115 (Nakano-D) Los Angeles County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway

Designates that portion of State Highway Route 1 located in Los Angeles County as the "Los Angeles County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway." Requests the State Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers showing that special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those plaques, markers and signs.

Resolution Chapter 94, Statutes of 2000

ACR 119 (Havice-D) Merchant Marine Remembrance Week

Designates June 12 through June 18, 2000, as Merchant Marine Remembrance Week and encourages all Californians to join in this observance.

Resolution Chapter 58, Statutes of 2000

ACR 128 (Machado-D) California Veterans Day: November 11, 2000

Designates November 11, 2000, as California Veterans Day.

Resolution Chapter 78, Statutes of 2000

ACR 144 (Ducheny-D) Veterans Week

Designates the week of November 5 to November 11, inclusive, of each year as "Veterans Week."

Resolution Chapter 79, Statutes of 2000

ACR 149 (Aanestad-R) Post No. 1747 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars

Designates the portion of State Highway Route 70 from Pacific Heights/Georgia Way to the westbound ramp to Garden Drive, in the City of Oroville, as the Post No. 1747 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Memorial Highway. Requests that the State Department of Transportation, upon receiving sufficient donations from nonstate sources, erect the appropriate markers.

Resolution Chapter 97, Statutes of 2000

ACR 155 (Maddox-R) End of Vietnam Conflict

Makes findings and declarations relative to the 25th anniversary of the ending of the Vietnam Conflict and of ensuing contributions to American society by Vietnamese-American immigrants.

Resolution Chapter 80, Statutes of 2000

ACR 162 (House-R) Pearl Harbor

Memorializes the attack on Pearl Harbor, especially to commemorate those lost and to pay tribute to those wounded.

Resolution Chapter 141, Statutes of 2000

AJR 49 (Bock-I) Filipino veterans of the United States Armed Forces

Memorializes the President and Congress to grant full veterans' benefits to Filipino veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

Resolution Chapter 151, Statutes of 2000

Index (in Bill Order)