Veterans' Legislation
SB 39* (Johannessen-R) California Military Museum
Appropriates funds generated by income tax check-offs for the California Military Museum and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Subjects allocation of funds for these programs to appropriation by the Legislature, generally made in the Budget Act (however, the 1996 Budget Act inadvertently excluded these appropriations).
Chapter 7, Statutes of 1997
SB 104 (Craven-R) Veterans' farm and home purchase: mobilehomes
Sets the maximum purchase price at $250,000 for a mobilehome converted to a fixture and improvement to the underlying real property in a mobilehome park that has been converted to a resident-owned entity.
Chapter 154, Statutes of 1997
SB 335* (Johannessen-R) Veterans: health care
Requires the State Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) to conduct a prescribed study to determine the health care needs and the associated costs of providing appropriate care to meet the identified health care needs of current and future members of the Veterans' Home of California who are suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other dementia diseases. Requires DVA to submit the study to the Legislature on or before January 1, 1998.
Chapter 335, Statutes of 1997
SB 486 (Craven-R) County veterans service centers: agreements
Authorizes the State Department of Veteran Affairs and the State Employment Development Department to enter into interagency agreements with counties that elect to participate to provide County Veteran Service Centers by July 1, 1999.
Chapter 316, Statutes of 1997
SB 574 (Knight-R) Veterans benefits: eligibility
Makes peacetime veterans eligible to participate in the Cal-Vet home loan program, as specified, and places peacetime veterans in a lower preference category for funding. Changes the date of the Vietnam Conflict in accordance with federal law.
Chapter 155, Statutes of 1997
SB 584 (O'Connell-D) Veterans' homes
Requires the second site of the Veterans' Home of California to be located in Chula Vista in San Diego County, and the third home to be located in Lancaster in Los Angeles County. Requires the fourth site to be located at Saticoy in Ventura County. (Each home is designed to be a 400-bed unit.)
Chapter 91, Statutes of 1997
SB 608 (Johannessen-R) County veteran service officers: disbursements
Requires an annual report from the State Department of Veterans Affairs to the State Department of Finance (DOF) concerning the monetary benefits obtained for veterans from the federal government by county veteran services officers. Requires consideration by DOF in constructing the annual budget of funding increases for the county veteran service officers, and places a limit on any increase based on this report of no more than $5 million from the General Fund for this purpose.
Chapter 318, Statutes of 1997
SB 785 (Johnson-R) Cal-Vet loans
Deletes the requirement for an annual 2/3 vote by the California Veterans Board and the Veterans Finance Committee of 1943 to determine the interest rate to be paid on Cal-Vet loans and, instead, requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs to report annually to the board and committee within 60 days of receiving a survey of the financial condition of the program by an independent public accounting firm recognized standing regarding the recommended rate of interest to be approved by the board and committee, as specified.
Chapter 197, Statutes of 1997
SB 846 (Mountjoy-R) Veterans farm and home purchase program
Allows additional forms of security instruments other than just a surety bond for the Cal-Vet Construction Loan Program, as specified. Eliminates the requirement that the State Department of Veteran Affairs send notices of availability to specified public entities in the region where a repossessed property is located. Allows a subsequent veterans home loan to be issued when the initial loan has been paid in full, either by paying off the loan, refinancing, or when the veteran has listed his/her interest in the property through divorce.
Chapter 156, Statutes of 1997
SB 1138 (Johannessen-R) Veterans farm and home purchase program
Requires Cal-Vet farm and home loan purchasers to participate in the State Department of Veterans Affairs Indemnity Fund.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)
SB 1158* (Johannessen-R) Veterans: life or disability insurance
Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs, upon entering into a master agreement with 1 or more insurance companies to provide life or disability insurance coverage for purchasers of farms or homes, to provide for the maintenance of reserves in order to ensure that veteran's life or disability coverage is properly protected by adequate services.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)
SB 1324 (Johannessen-R) Veterans home: eligibility
Changes the eligibility requirements for entrance into a Veterans' Home of California. Deletes the requirements for service during a time of war or hostility, or time of peace only if a medal has been authorized, in order to be eligible for admission to a veteran's home, which extends home eligibility to peacetime veterans. Grants priority for admission to wartime veterans over peacetime veterans.
Chapter 325, Statutes of 1997
SCR 22 (McPherson-R) Veterans Memorial Highway
Designates the Sate Highway Route 156 Hollister Bypass Bridge as the Ed Hanna Memorial Bridge, and designates the bypass as the Veterans Memorial Highway.
Resolution Chapter 65, Statutes of 1997
SJR 2 (Thompson-D) The Gulf War Syndrome
Memorializes the President and Congress to take immediate action to ensure that all of the health care and family support needs of all Persian Gulf War veterans suffering from illnesses related to the Gulf War Syndrome are met prior to the conclusion of any further studies, that all possible causes of the Gulf War Syndrome be expeditiously and exhaustively researched, and that the actions of the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Defense regarding release of information with respect to the Gulf War Syndrome be fully investigated.
Resolution Chapter 70, Statutes of 1997
Similar legislation is AJR 5 (Havice-D), Resolution Chapter 26, Statutes of 1997.
SJR 6 (Solis-D) Filipino veterans of World War II: veterans' benefits
Memorializes the President and Congress to take action necessary to honor our country's moral obligation to provide Filipino veterans with the military benefits they deserve, including, but not limited to, holding related hearings, and acting favorably on legislation pertaining to the granting of full veterans' benefits to Filipino veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Resolution Chapter 93, Statutes of 1997
Similar legislation was SR 15 (Hayden-D), which was adopted by the Senate, and AJR 28 (Ducheny-D), Resolution Chapter 80, Statutes of 1997.
SJR 31 (Johannessen-R) State Veterans' Cemetery
Petitions the President, the Congress, and the federal Department of Veterans Affairs to propose funding for the construction and operation of a State Veterans' Cemetery in northern California.
(In Senate Rules Committee)
SJR 32 (Thompson-D) Veterans: smoking addiction
Calls upon the President and Congress to require, as part of the agreement between the tobacco industry and the Attorney General of certain states, to divert sufficient funds to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs for the costs of compensation paid to veterans who suffer as a result of the smoking addiction acquired when they were in the Armed Forces.
(Held at Assembly Desk)
SR 15 (Hayden-D) Filipino Veterans of World War II
Commends the Filipino veterans who served under U.S. command during World War II. Requests the California Senate to urge the President and Congress to honor immediately their moral obligation to provide Filipino veterans with military benefits they deserve.
Adopted by the Senate
Similar legislation was SJR 6 (Solis-D), Resolution Chapter 93, Statutes of 1997, and AJR 28 (Ducheny-D), Resolution Chapter 80, Statutes of 1997.
SB 6X (Ayala-D) Veterans: Disaster Indemnity Fund
Increases the amount of the deductibles on flood and earthquake claims under the Farm and Purchases Act (Cal-Vet) home loan program from under $250 deductible per occurrence to $500 per occurrence. Changes the current $250 deductible per occurrence for the cost of repairing structural damage in excess of 5% of the total covered cost to $500, whichever is greater, caused by earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide or mudslide. Specifies the perils covered under the Disaster Indemnity Fund.
Chapter 6, Statutes of 1997-98, First Extraordinary Session
AB 324 (Baldwin-R) Veterans: Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia
Requires the State Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on adequate and appropriate care for veterans afflicted with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementia diseases or afflictions, and to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature on or before June 30, 1998.
(In Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)
AB 551* (Morrissey-R) Property taxation: veterans' exemption
Deletes the existing implementing statute for the veterans' property tax exemption, and adds a new implementing provision that increases the amount of the exemption from $4,000 to $7,700 for veterans who claim the exemption on real property, as specifies. Specifies that this bill will become operative only if ACA 9 (Morrissey-R) is adopted and approved by the voters.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)
AB 626 (Baca-D) Veterans: California Veterans Board
Provides, until January 1, 2008, that no member of the California Veterans Board shall serve as a member of the board for no more than 2 terms, or 8 years, whichever is less, unless there is no other qualified person to be appointed. Requires the Governor to consult with veterans' groups and others to locate qualified applicants.
(In Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)
AB 1586* (Wright-D) State administration
Permits, among other things, General Funds to be used for the construction of the Capitol Park Veteran's Memorial, and terminates the Veteran's Memorial Commission on January 1, 1998. This bill was used as a budget trailer bill relating to state administration.
Chapter 300, Statutes of 1997
ACA 9 (Morrissey-R) Property taxation: veterans' exemption
Increases the amount of the veterans property tax exemption from $4,000 to $7,700 for veterans who claim the exemption from real property taxation. Removes the personal wealth limitation ($5,000 or more for single persons and $10,000 or more for married persons), which makes more persons ineligible for this exemption. Specifies that if the homeowners' tax exemption is increased above $7,000, then the amount of the veterans' exemption must be increased to 100% of the homeowners' exemption. Prohibits the veterans' exemption from being claimed if the homeowners' exemption is claimed. Requires the Legislature to reimburse local agencies for revenues lost as a result of the veterans' exemption.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)
Similar legislation is AB 551 (Morrissey-R), which is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
ACR 2 (Floyd-D) California Veterans' Cemetery at Yountville
Memorializes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of the Veterans' Home of California, Yountville, to take every action necessary to ensure satisfactory remedial repairs and maintenance of the cemetery grounds, as well as the upkeep, repair, and beautification of the cemetery and gravesites.
Resolution Chapter 94, Statutes of 1997
ACR 10 (Floyd-D) Veterans Memorials: The Wall That Heals
Encourages all Californians to take part in ceremonies concerning "The Wall That Heals," and that all measures be taken to inform Californians of related ceremonies so that they are given the opportunity to remember and honor the service, efforts, and sacrifices of veterans.
Resolution Chapter 9, Statutes of 1997
AJR 5 (Havice-D) Gulf War Syndrome
Memorializes the President and Congress to ensure that veterans of the Gulf War are appropriately cared for and to do everything possible to understand and explain Gulf War illnesses. Requests that military doctrines, personnel and medical policies, procedures, and equipment be put in place to minimize any future problems from exposure to biological or chemical agents or other environmental hazards.
Resolution Chapter 26, Statutes of 1997
Similar legislation is SJR 2 (Thompson-D), Resolution Chapter 70, Statutes of 1997.
AJR 28 (Ducheny-D) Filipino war veterans
Memorializes and urges the President and Congress to enact House Resolution 836, which will provide full benefits to veterans who served in the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Special Phlippine Scouts during World War II.
Resolution Chapter 80, Statutes of 1997
AJR 32 (Kuykendall-R) Allied Hmong-Lao veterans
Memorializes the President and Congress to recognize the sacrifices and services rendered to our country by the Hmong-Lao veterans who served in the special guerrilla units that were allied with, and operating in support of, the military forces of the U.S. during the Vietnam War by granting those veterans and their families full U.S. citizenship.
Resolution Chapter 113, Statutes of 1997
AJR 41 (Morrissey-D) Health care: military retirees and their dependents
Memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to support and enact legislation recognizing the medical needs of retired military personnel and their dependents, including former military spouses, through a combination of a Medicare subvention program for those desiring or able to travel to a Military Treatment Facility or a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility, and a Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan enrollment option for retired military personnel who are otherwise the only federal employees who are denied their employer-provided health care at the age of 65 years.
(In Assembly awaiting committee assignment)
HR 45 (Assembly Committee on Rules) Veterans of California
Recognizes California veterans for the great service and sacrifices they have made for our liberty, and encourages all Californians to remember the great debt of gratitude that we as free Californians owe to our veterans. Proclaims the 5-day periods including, and ending with, November 11, 1997, and November 11, 1998, as " California Veterans' Week" to promote the recognition and appreciation of the great service and sacrifices made by California veterans in order to secure our liberty.
Adopted
HR 46 (Assembly Committee on Rules) California Women Veterans Week
Proclaims the weeks beginning November 11, 1997, and November 11, 1998, as California Women Veterans Week and recognizes that women veterans are pioneers in nontraditional roles and that women who have served our communities and our state during times of war and peace should be honored on behalf of a grateful state commending their courage devotion, and spirit.
