Veterans' Issues

Veterans' Legislation

Veterans' Legislation

SB 115 (Florez-D) California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program

Makes various changes to the Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Program (DVBE), including requiring the Department of General Services to establish a DVBE participation incentive to bidders that is mandatory for all state agencies, and requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a method of monitoring adherence to the DVBE participation goals.

Chapter 451, Statutes of 2005

SB 181 (Migden-D) State militia: applicable law

Provides that specified provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the United States Manual for Courts-Martial do not apply to a qualified person, as defined.

(In Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

SB 243* (Dutton-R) Personal income taxes: credits: property tax

Authorizes a tax credit against those taxes for each taxable and income year beginning on or after January 1, 2005, and before January 1, 2010, in an amount equal to the amount paid for property taxes during the taxable year on the primary residence of a person or spouse of a person who, during that taxable year, was deployed in a combat or war zone, as specified.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 256 (Speier-D) Life insurance premium reimbursement

Reimburses members of the California National Guard who are called to active duty by the federal government for the cost of purchasing life insurance, up to an amount of $17 per month effective January 1, 2005. Continuously appropriates money from the General Fund to the Military Department.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 310 (Chesbro-D) Veterans' homes: funding

Requires the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, established for the California Veterans' Home at Yountville, to maintain a reserve in the amount of $2 million and allows the reserve to be invested in securities.

Chapter 455, Statutes of 2005

SB 320 (Machado-D) Disabled veteran business enterprises: certification

Delays recertification for three years for potentially fraudulent Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. Also establishes a statement of compliance procedure for determining whether the existing three percent participation goals are actually being met by contractors.

(In Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

SB 480 (Denham-R) Central Coast Veterans Cemetery: maintenance

Requires the Department of Corrections to make available inmate work crews from Salinas Valley State Prison to perform ongoing maintenance at the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery in Monterey County.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 498 (Cox-R) California Troops to Teachers Program

Creates the California Troops to Teachers Program to provide additional financial incentives to members of the Armed Forces who are participants in the federal Troops to Teachers Program.

(Failed passage in Senate Education Committee)

SB 513* (Soto-D) California National Guard: financial obligations

Defers principal and interest for six months without penalty on the financial obligations of a member of the California National Guard after the death of the member, to the extent permitted by the laws of the United States and the Constitution of California, as specified.

Chapter 261, Statutes of 2005

SB 612 (Dutton-R) Vehicle fees: deployed military personnel

Extends, to vehicles owned by members of the Armed Forces, Armed Forces Reserve, or National Guard who are temporarily deployed outside the state, the exemption from vehicle registration fees, weight fees, and vehicle license fees provided to disabled veterans, former American prisoners of war, and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 693 (Morrow-R) State militia: border control assistance

Requires the Adjutant General, in conjunction with the appropriate state and federal authorities, to develop a plan to provide support for federal border control operations.

(Failed passage in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 766 (Senate Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: insurance

Revises provisions of the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974 to instead, for calendar years beginning on and after January 1, 2006, prohibit the reserves maintained under the master agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs and one or more insurance companies from being more than 25 percent in excess of actuarial requirements plus the reasonable contingency reserve.

(In Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

SB 997* (Soto-D) State military reservists: service awards

Establishes the State Military Reserve and Naval Militia Length of Service Award Act, and makes an appropriation of $100,000 from the General Fund to the Military Department to pay an award of $100 per month for life to a qualified person, which is defined as any person who has served in the State Military Reserve or the Naval Militia for 10 years on or after the operative date of the bill.

(At Assembly Desk)

SB 1005* (Florez-D) Property tax exemption: spouses of deceased veterans

Provides, beginning with the lien date for the 2006-07 fiscal year, fully exempt from property taxation the principal residence of the unmarried surviving spouse of a person that died as a result of a service-connected disease or injury, as specified. Also provides, beginning with the lien date for the 2006-07 fiscal year, fully exempt from property taxation the principal residence of the unmarried surviving spouse of a qualified public safety officer that dies in the line of duty, as specified.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 1052 (Kehoe-D) Property taxation: military housing

Requires a Military Housing Oversight Committee to be established for each applicable military facility, which shall be comprised of a resident of the facility, the county assessor or his or her designee, and, if applicable, other county officials. Requires the committee to approve or reject all of the private contractor's plans for improvements and to notify the Department of Finance and the Department of Veterans Affairs of any approved plans for improvements, as specified. Specifies that if the committee determines that the amount of the private contractor's reduction in property taxes is greater than the amount necessary to meet the demand for improvements on the facility, the criterion pertaining to improvements for the residents of the facility be deemed to not have been met as of the lien date for the fiscal year in which that determination is made.

(In Senate Local Government Committee)

SB 1082* (Morrow-R) Child support: military reservists

Facilitates a process whereby deployed military personnel can seek a modification of their child support orders and makes related changes.

Chapter 154, Statutes of 2005

SCA 14 (Morrow-R) Property tax

Repeals the existing property tax exemptions for veterans, their unmarried spouses, and their parents to establish the Military and Veterans' Homeowners' Exemption. Provides a property tax exemption for the principal place of residence of qualified persons, which is defined as active military personnel and veterans, who reside in the state and whose service or discharge meets certain conditions, and the resident, unmarried spouses of deceased veterans who were eligible for exemption prior to their death. Provides that this exemption is ten percent higher than the general homeowners' exemption and shall be available to a qualified person without regard to the value of his or her property holdings.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SCR 6 (Morrow-R) Military and veterans: World War II invasion of Iwo Jima

Commemorates the 60th anniversary of the World War II invasion of the Island of Iwo Jima, the day the United States Marine Corps and Navy landed on the fortified beaches of Iwo Jima in opposition of the Japanese Empire, and urges the people of California to honor the men of the United States who fought and died in the bloodiest battle ever fought by the U.S. Marine Corps in the pursuit of freedom and a just peace.

Resolution Chapter 3, Statutes of 2005

SCR 8 (Battin-R) Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway

Designates the portion of Interstate Highway 10 located in California as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. Also requests the Department of Transportation to determine the costs of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Resolution Chapter 72, Statutes of 2005

SJR 9 (Morrow-R) Retired military personnel: Medicare

Requests that the Congress and the President of the United States support and enact legislation that will provide Medicare payments to military treatment facilities for retired military personnel and their dependents who meet Medicare age standards.

Resolution Chapter 89, Statutes of 2005

AB 30 (Negrete McLeod-D) Retirement: military service

Allows members of the California National Guard to qualify for membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System and to purchase past service credit for service performed prior to membership.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 139* (Assembly Budget Committee) Northern California Veterans' Cemetery

Contains provisions relating to various issues concerning state government necessary for the 2005 State Budget. Specifically adds language that specifies the Northern California Veterans' Cemetery may accept donations of personal property, including cash or other gifts, to be used for the maintenance or beautification of the cemetery.

Chapter 74, Statutes of 2005

AB 160 (Cogdill-R) Vehicles: special license plates

Exempts the surviving spouse of a former American prisoner of war or Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from paying a vehicle license fee and vehicle registration fee.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 208 (Gordon-D) School districts: children of military personnel

Authorizes a school district of choice to give priority for attendance to children of military personnel if the school district elects to accept transfer pupils by a resolution, as specified.

Chapter 142, Statutes of 2005

AB 255 (Chavez-D) California Military Families Support Program: life insurance

Requires the Military Department to pay for life insurance, in a policy amount of $250,000, for every member of the California National Guard called to federal active duty. Continuously appropriates General Fund monies to the Military Department to pay for the insurance.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 265 (Haynes-R) Child custody: parents on active military duty

Prohibits a court from modifying an order granting custody of a child if the party who was granted custody of the child is a member of the California National Guard and he or she has been called to active duty, unless the court determines that modifying the order is in the best interest of the child and the party has either died while on active duty or is no longer able to provide adequate care for the child.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 276 (Baca-D) State employees: military benefits

Revises provisions regarding compensation for state employees who are military personnel. Increases the number of days that a state employee in the California National Guard or a United States military reserve organization is authorized to receive compensation benefits for time absent for military duty, to a period not to exceed 365 days.

Chapter 287, Statutes of 2005

AB 294* (Blakeslee-R) Tax credit: qualified life insurance premiums

Provides a refundable tax credit of up to $200 to members of the California National Guard on active duty for the amount paid by the member for life insurance premiums. The credit will be available for tax years 2005 through 2008.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 306 (Baca-D) Military service: benefits

Enacts various financial protections for service members called to active duty as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as defined.

Chapter 291, Statutes of 2005

AB 357 (Shirley Horton-R) Taxpayer contributions: Veterans' Quality of Life Fund

Authorizes the addition of the Veterans' Quality of Life Fund income tax check-off to the personal income tax form upon the removal of another income tax check-off from the form.

Chapter 143, Statutes of 2005

AB 410 (Yee-D) Disabled veteran business enterprises

Creates a 10 percent bidding preference for certified disabled veteran business enterprises in bids for contracts for specified goods and services.

(Failed passage in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 475 (Baca-D) Local agency military base recovery area

Establishes new parameters for determining the expiration date of a Local Agency Military Base Recovery Area (LAMBRA) and allows for an expansion of a LAMBRA outside of the former military base. Extends the initial designation period from eight to 14 years if a specified condition applies.

(In Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 498 (Haynes-R) Child support guidelines: National Guard members

Provides that an annual net disposable income of a parent who is on active duty as a member of the National Guard shall be calculated on the basis of his or her gross income from the National Guard for each month as part of a month during that year that the parent is on active duty, as specified. Requires a court to modify any current order for support that does not comply with that provision. Provides for the rescission of certain penalties imposed upon a parent for his or her failure to make payments as ordered pursuant to a child support order that does not comply with that provision, as specified. Also applies these provisions retroactively.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

AB 599 (Gordon-D) Mental health account: primary goals: California veterans

Specifies that veterans in need of mental health services who are not eligible for care by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) or other federal health care are prioritized as "targeted populations" and should be provided services to the extent resources are available. Requires counties to refer a veteran to the county veterans' service officer, if any, to determine the veteran's eligibility for, and the availability of, mental health services provided by USDVA or other federal health care provider.

Chapter 221, Statutes of 2005

AB 690 (Saldana-D) Weapons of mass destruction civil support team

Authorizes an annual state retention bonus for members of the California National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction and Civil Support Teams.

Chapter 155, Statutes of 2005

AB 720 (Villines-R) California State University: observance of Veterans Day

Requires the California State University to observe Veterans Day on November 11 annually, and not on any other day of the year.

Chapter 146, Statutes of 2005

AB 764 (Calderon-D) Military ID cards: alcoholic beverages

Establishes a specified process where in the event an identification (ID) card issued to a member of the Armed Forces is provided as proof of age 21, when purchasing alcoholic beverages, and the ID lacks a physical description, then proof of being age 21 may be further substantiated if a motor vehicle operator's license or any other valid bona fide identification issued by any government jurisdiction is also provided as specified.

Chapter 68, Statutes of 2005

AB 787 (DeVore-R) Crime: impersonating a veteran

Provides that any person, who falsely claims, represents or presents himself or herself to be a veteran or member of the armed forces of the United States with the intent to defraud, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Exempts face-to-face solicitations involving less than $10.

Chapter 457, Statutes of 2005

AB 828 (Cohn-D) Tuition and fee waiver for military veterans

Provides that any person who is honorably serving in, or has been honorably discharged from, the armed forces of the United States, and any person who is a member of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, or the Naval Militia, and who is, or previously has been, called to active service, as defined, shall not be subject to tuition or fees at any campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges if he or she is a California resident. These provisions only apply to the University of California to the extent that the Regents make them applicable by resolution.

(In Assembly Higher Education Committee)

AB 922 (Salinas-D) Central Coast Veterans Cemetery

Requires the Department of Veteran Affairs, in cooperation with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, to develop, design and construct a state owned and state operated Central Coast Veterans Cemetery to be located at the former Fort Ord, located in Monterey County. Also repeals the provisions under existing law relating to the creation of and duties imposed on the Governor's Commission on State Veterans Cemeteries.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 980 (Umberg-D) California militia: disability benefits

Affords disability benefits to members of the state militia who are wounded, injured or disabled during federal active duty in an amount equal to those benefits received by regular military personnel.

Chapter 319, Statutes of 2005

AB 985 (Torrico-D) Labor: military duty

Requires an employer to pay an employee, upon his or her return from active military duty as a member of the state militia, six months of salary at the rate he or she was being paid at the time he or she was called to duty, if the employee's job no longer existed because it was outsourced to a foreign country during the time the employee was on active military duty.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1202 (Laird-D) Military and Aerospace Support Act

Replaces obsolete references to the Defense Conversion Council with the Office of Military and Aerospace Support and revises the definition of military bases. Requires the Director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research to select a mediator, in consultation with the federal Office of Economic Adjustment, to reach agreement among different jurisdictions on a local reuse entity in the event the multiple local governments cannot agree on a single reuse entity for each base.

Chapter 330, Statues of 2005

AB 1436* (Baca-D) Cal Grant Program: military veterans

Expands eligibility for Cal Grants to include military veterans meeting certain criteria and eligibility requirements.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1439 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veteran benefits

Increases the amounts the Cal-Vet Home Loan Program can loan to veterans to 125 percent per home and 150 percent per farm for the national average cost, for the purpose of making the program more practical in the current real estate market conditions.

Chapter 459, Statutes of 2005

AB 1455 (Yee-D) Military Department: Office of Inspector General

Establishes the Office of the Inspector General (IG) for the Military Department appointed by the Governor and subject to Senate confirmation. Specifies that the IG is independent of the chain of command of the Military Department and serves at the discretion of the Governor. Requires the IG to investigate complaints and allegations of wrongdoing by military personnel and requires the IG to establish a toll-free public telephone number to receive these complaints and allegations, as specified.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1477 (DeVore-R) Vehicles: state militia exemptions

Exempts active members of the California National Guard, State Military Reserve, or State Naval Militia from the imposition of the vehicle registration fee and vehicle weight fee.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1523 (Blakeslee-R) State employment: military leave of absence

Extends the period for a military leave of absence for state employees from four to five years.

Chapter 151, Statutes of 2005

AB 1542 (Parra-D) Crimes by veterans: sentencing

Authorizes a sentencing court to place a defendant who suffers from substance abuse, post traumatic stress disorder or other psychological disorders as a result of military combat service in a probation and treatment program, as specified.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1566 (Calderon-D) Identity theft

Provides that the maximum fine for the misdemeanor of possession of identifying information with intent to defraud shall be $1,500 where the victim is a deployed member of the military services, while the maximum fine is otherwise $1,000 for that offense. This bill is double-jointed with AB 424 (Calderon), which is on the Senate Third Reading File.

Chapter 432, Statutes of 2005

AB 1594* (Umberg-D) Surviving spouses and children

Enacts the California National Guard Surviving Spouses and Children Relief Act of 2004, which appropriates the sum of $130,000 from the General Fund to the Military Department for the purpose of paying death gratuity benefits to the families of members of the California National Guard, State Military Reserve or Naval Militia who died or were killed after March 1, 2003, in the performance of duty.

Chapter 342, Statutes of 2005

AB 1666 (Frommer-D) Military service: benefits

Enacts the California Military Families Financial Relief Act of 2005 and provides specified financial relief to any service member called to active duty if that service lasts for a period of 30 consecutive days.

Chapter 345, Statutes of 2005

AB 1725 (La Malfa-R) Veterans' homes

Allows the Department of General Services, on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to acquire, design, equip, construct and establish the veterans' homes to be constructed in Fresno and Shasta Counties using the design-build construction procurement process.

Chapter 460, Statutes of 2005

ACR 71 (Saldana-D) Yellow Ribbon Day

Proclaims May 31, 2005, as Yellow Ribbon Day, a special day for Californians to extend their sincerest appreciation for the sacrifices military families and our troops are making and to commemorate our troops and their families with ceremonial activities.

Resolution Chapter 50, Statutes of 2005

AJR 2 (Evans-D) Full benefits of Filipino veterans

Memorializes the President and the Congress of the United States to honor the contributions of the Filipino-American war veterans and directs the federal government to immediately pay promised veterans' benefits as the first order of business of the 109th Congress.

Resolution Chapter 117, Statutes of 2005

AJR 25 (Baca-D) Veterans benefits

Requests the President and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to establish a federal-state partnership to use local county veterans' service officers to assist the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in eliminating the veterans claims processing backlog.

(In Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

AJR 32 (Arambula-D) Qualified Veterans Mortgage Bonds

Memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to enact legislation that revises provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to authorize increased issuance of Qualified Veterans Mortgage Bonds by a state to fund home purchase and home improvement loans to specified veterans.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

AJR 33 (Sharon Runner-R) Qualified Veterans Mortgage Bonds

Respectfully urges the President and the Congress of the United States to amend the Internal Revenue Code to change the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of providing financing for home loans to any veteran who meets the requirements as may be imposed by the state law pursuant to which qualified veterans' mortgage bonds are issued.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

Index (in Bill Order)