Veterans' Issues

Veterans' Legislation

Veterans' Legislation

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SB 159 (Wyland-R) Disabled veteran business enterprises
Expands the definition of small businesses in the California Prompt Payment Act to include disabled veteran business enterprises. This expansion allows disabled veteran business enterprises, regardless of size, to be paid the higher level of penalty payment if the state fails to pay them any required payments in a timely manner.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 287 (Denham-R) Armed Forces: vehicles: special license plates
Authorizes a family member of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, who was killed while serving on active duty in the military, to apply for special license plates, and exempts the person from paying the additional fees.
(Died in Senate Transportation and Housing Committee)

SB 374 (Harman-R) Military service: benefits
Requires every board, bureau, and commission within the Department of Consumer Affairs to waive the initial license fee and the renewal fee for any license, certificate, or registration issued to a qualified member of the military or spouse of a qualified member, as specified.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 662 (Wiggins-D) Veterans' Home of California
Makes technical, nonsubstantive changes to the Military and Veterans Code.
Chapter 167, Statutes of 2008

SB 983 (Correa-D) California Prompt Payment Act: disabled veteran business
Expands the definition of small businesses in the California Prompt Payment Act to include disabled veteran business enterprises. This expansion allows disabled veteran business enterprises, regardless of size, to be paid the higher level of penalty payment if the state fails to pay them any required payments in a timely manner.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1219* (Cedillo-D) Student financial aid: Armed Forces: members/former members
Entitles a student, commencing in fiscal year 2009-10, who is a member or former member of the Armed Forces and is enrolled on a campus of the California Community Colleges, a career technical education program, or a qualifying undergraduate 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 Aid Commission to make preliminary awards to all eligible applicants and to annually audit 10% of the new and renewal awards for compliance. Requires the California Student Aid Commission to submit an annual report to the Legislature.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1220 (Cedillo-D) Housing: Multifamily Housing Program: veterans
Allows sponsors of permanent supportive housing projects funded under the Multifamily Housing Program to restrict occupancy to veterans who have barriers to social reintegration if the property is owned or leased by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or the California Department of Veterans Affairs, and meets other specified requirements.
Chapter 618, Statutes of 2008

SB 1222 (Cedillo-D) County veteran service officers: funding
Appropriates, from the General Fund, an amount equal to $3 per veteran to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the support of county veterans' service officers to be allocated during the fiscal year 2008-09. Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to annually determine the total number of veterans who meet the state residency qualifications, and future appropriations will be based on that data.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1229 (Maldonado-R) Vehicles: special license plates: disabled veterans
Provides for the issuance of special license plates approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles for a disabled veteran, as defined. Allows, upon the death of a person issued these special license plates, the surviving spouse to retain the plates, subject to certain conditions. Requires that, upon the death of the surviving spouse, the retained plates be returned to the department within 60 days following that death or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.
(Died in Senate Transportation and Housing Committee)

SB 1245 (Negrete McLeod-D) California Mexican American Veterans' Memorial
Requires the Department of General Services, in consultation with the California Mexican American Veterans' Memorial Beautification and Enhancement Committee, to accomplish specified goals with respect to the design and construction of the existing memorial.
Chapter 520, Statutes of 2008

SB 1290 (Wyland-R) National Guard: educational benefits
Requires any campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges to provide a tuition and fee waiver, as specified, to any qualified member of the California National Guard. These provisions only apply to the University of California to the extent the Regents of the University of California, by resolution, adopt these provisions.
(Died in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

SB 1353 (Negrete McLeod-D) State employees: military benefits
Authorizes the Governor to issue an Executive Order to extend existing benefits from 730 days (two years) to 1,460 days (four years) for state employee-members of the United States Military Reserves called to active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Chapter 592, Statutes of 2008

SB 1401 (Simitian-D) Armed Forces: traumatic brain injury
Requires the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or designees, and the Adjutant General, or a designee, to develop an outreach plan for traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder screenings for California's returning veterans.
Chapter 593, Statutes of 2008

SB 1455 (Cogdill-R) Vehicles: specialized license plates: Gold Star Families
Exempts the Department of Veterans Affairs, if it sponsors a Gold Star Family specialized license plate program, from the requirement that it collect 7,500 paid applications for that license plate prior to the Department of Motor Vehicles issuing the plates.
Chapter 309, Statutes of 2008

SB 1495 (Kehoe-D) Taxation
Allows a taxpayer to retain the disabled veterans' property tax exemption in the case of a partial loss of the taxpayer's home due to a misfortune, calamity, and a full or partial loss due to a major disaster for which the governor has issued a proclamation of a state emergency.
Chapter 594, Statutes of 2008

SB 1534 (Battin-R) Veterans: military decorations
Allows veterans who have earned military ribbons, and who are employed as state safety officers to wear their ribbons during the weeks of Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
Chapter 595, Statutes of 2008

SB 1572* (Wyland-R) Veterans' Bond Act of 2008
Enacts the Veterans' Bond Act of 2008 which authorizes, for purposes of financing a specified program of farm, home, and mobilehome purchase assistance for veterans, the issuance of bonds in the amount of $900 million, and provides for submission of the act to the voters at the 11/4/08 general election.
Chapter 122, Statutes of 2008

SB 1675* (Cox-R) Veterans' Revenue Debenture Act of 1970
Provides the Department of Veterans Affairs with the discretion to structure the terms and conditions of any authorized debt issuance.
Chapter 287, Statutes of 2008

SB 1680 (Wyland-R) Student financial aid: Military and Veterans Office
Authorizes the California Community Colleges and the California State University and encourages the University of California to coordinate services for qualified students who are veterans or members of the military by clearly designating Military and Veterans Offices for the purpose of assisting students in determining their eligibility for financial aid and other student services.
Chapter 123, Statutes of 2008

SB 1752* (Wyland-R) California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program
Establishes, until 1/1/16, the California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program on behalf of qualifying members of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia under the administration of the California Student Aid Commission. Requires the California Student Aid Commission to report annually to the Legislature regarding program participation. Requires the Legislative Analyst, on or before 1/1/14, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report on the program.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1778 (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 $11,000,000.
Vetoed

SCR 109 (Cedillo-D) The Medal of Honor Recipient, Eugene A. Obregon, USMC
Re-designates the freeway interchange involving State Highway Routes 5, 10, 60, and 101, commonly referred to as the East Los Angeles Interchange, from the Marine Private First Class Eugene A. Obregon Interchange to the Medal of Honor Recipient, Eugene A. Obregon, USMC, Memorial Interchange. 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 66, Statutes of 2008

SJR 16 (Wyland-R) Veterans' hospitals: prescriptions
Urges the Congress and the President of the United States to require the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to consider the establishment of a specified emergency prescription program, for use in United States Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, which is similar to the program currently used by hospitals administered by the United States Department of Defense.
Resolution Chapter 68, Statutes of 2008

SJR 34 (Scott-D) Educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces
Urges the Congress and the President of the United States to amend Title 38 of the United States Code to establish a program of educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces that provides education benefits similar to those provided in the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944.
(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SR 26 (Dutton-R) United States Army Reserve 100th Anniversary
Honors and congratulates the United States Army Reserve on its 100th anniversary on 4/23/08, and recognizes the vital contributions of the Army Reserve during its 100 years of existence.
Adopted by the Senate

AB 111* (Blakeslee-R) National Guard Assumption Program of Loans for Education
Extends the sunset date for the National Guard Assumption Program of Loans for Education from 7/1/07 until 7/1/10.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 138 (Bass-D) Veterans: parking
Allows veterans with license plates honoring Pearl Harbor Survivors, Legion of Valor recipients, former American Prisoners of War, Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, or Purple Heart recipients to park their vehicles without charge in state and local parking facilities, time-restricted parking zones, and metered spaces.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 279 (Huff-R) Military funerals: unlawful demonstrations
Makes it an infraction for a person to disrupt a funeral service for a member or former member of the United States Armed Forces and imposes a $250 fine, in addition to any other penalty provided by law.
(Died in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 296 (Salas-D) Military and veterans
Requires the Governor's Advisory Council on Military Affairs, to study the critical issues facing veterans and members of the National Guard and to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on actions that may be necessary to support and otherwise attend to the needs of those men and women that serve or have served in the National Guard or United States Armed Forces, as specified. Requires the Council to report to the Governor and the Legislature, on or before 1/1/09, concerning its initial findings and recommendations.
(Died in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 389 (Salas-D) County veteran service officers: funding
Appropriates $5 million from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs as an augmentation to funding for county veteran service officers.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 418 (Saldana-D) Vehicles: fees: exemption: deployed National Guard member
Exempts deployed California National Guard personnel, commencing 7/1/08, from paying a vehicle license fee and vehicle registration fees on a single vehicle. Appropriates $250,000 from the Motor Vehicle Account to the Department of Motor Vehicles for implementation of this program.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 445 (Nava-D) Disabled veterans: special license plates
Establishes a process at the Department of Motor Vehicles by which an eligible vehicle owner can apply for and receive special license plates that indicates he/she is a disabled veteran.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 540 (Garcia-R) Veterans: welcome home patriotic benevolence payment
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to make a one-time welcome home patriotic benevolence payment, as specified, to a qualified veteran. Makes a continuous appropriation from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the fiscal year 2008-09, and for each fiscal year thereafter, for this purpose. Sunsets on 1/1/11.
(Died in Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 581 (Salas-D) Military personnel: Combat Stress Support Team Program
Requires the Military Department to create a Combat Stress Support Team Program for state military personnel and their families, and requires notification to all veterans regarding the availability of uranium screening tests.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 696 (Hernandez-D) Military benefits: state employees
Provides retroactive payments to specified state employees who were members of the California National Guard or a U.S. military reserve organization and were called to active duty after 9/11/01.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 767 (Walters-R) Veterans: student financial aid
Enacts the Golden State G.I. Bill of Rights for Higher Education prohibiting any campus of the University of California, the California State University, or the California Community Colleges from charging any mandatory systemwide tuition or fees to a California resident who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, were honorably discharged, and have used all of their Montgomery Bill G.I. benefits.
(Died in Senate Education Committee)

AB 866 (Davis-D) Department of Motor Vehicles: military benefits
Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide priority customer service to members of the California National Guard, members of the Armed Forces Reserves, and members of the regular Armed Forces who have been called to active duty.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 873 (Davis-D) Public utilities: procurement
Requires every water corporation with gross annual revenues exceeding $25 million to submit to the Public Utilities Commission annual plans for increasing procurement from women, minority, and disabled veteran business enterprises.
Chapter 316, Statutes of 2008

AB 944* (Anderson-R) California National Guard: income tax exemption
Exempts the first $10,000 of qualified income of a member of the California National Guard who is on active drill status from personal income tax.
(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1095* (Parra-D) California Military Family Relief Fund
Changes provisions of the allowable tax contribution for the California Military Family Relief Fund by reducing the annual contribution rate and deleting the requirement that this amount be adjusted based on an inflation factor each year.
(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1389* (Assembly Budget Committee) 2008 General Gov't Trailer Bill: veterans
Enacts the 2008 General Government Budget Trailer Bill which, among other provisions, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to annually submit a fiscal estimate package to the Legislature as part of the Governor's Budget and to update the estimates in the package at the May Revision of the Budget.
Chapter 751, Statutes of 2008

AB 1485* (Jeffries-R) Veterans and their unmarried spouses: principal residence
Increases the property tax exemption currently provided to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses beginning in 2008-09.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1809 (Saldana-D) Military families: pupils
Establishes the Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunities for Military Families and ratifies the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families due to frequent moves and deployment of their parents. Pursuant to federal law, the Compact shall become effective and binding when at least 10 states ratify it and requires the effective date to be no earlier than 12/1/07.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1814 (DeVore-R) Veterans: claims
Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate any veteran service organization for services rendered that provide for the development of outreach programs for any veteran or dependent or survivor of a veteran that enhance their opportunity to present and pursue claims.
(Died in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 1818 (Fuentes-D) Veterans: housing
Allows sponsors of permanent supportive housing projects funded under the Multifamily Housing Program to restrict occupancy to veterans who have barriers to social reintegration.
(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 1919* (Silva-R) Nonprofit organizations on military installations
Exempts from sales and use tax, through 12/31/12, the sale of tangible personal property by a nonprofit organization that operates a thrift store on a military installation, whose purpose is to assist members of the Naval Services of the United States, and eligible family members and survivors.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1942 (Ruskin-D) Small businesses/disabled veteran business: public contracts
Increases and conforms penalties for persons who engage in fraudulent activities relating to the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, including small businesses, microbusinesses, and disabled veteran-owned business enterprises.
Vetoed

AB 1952 (Berg-D) Veterans: business licensing
Exempts honorably discharged veterans who are California residents from paying city, county and state license fees.
Chapter 435, Statutes of 2008

AB 2055 (Salas-D) Military personnel: Combat Stress Support Team Program
Requires the Military Department to create a northern California and a southern California Combat Stress Support Team to provide emergency crisis counseling, referral and personal support, combat stress evaluations, and mental health support for state military personnel and their families. Each team must consist of a psychologist with training in combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2082 (Salas-D) Military service: student financial aid
Requires the California Student Aid Commission to provide special consideration to applicants for competitive Cal Grant A and B awards that have served in the California National Guard for at least six years.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2171 (Cook-R) Purple Heart Memorial
Authorizes the construction and maintenance of a Purple Heart memorial in the Capitol Historic Region.
Chapter 585, Statutes of 2008

AB 2449 (Davis-D) Military service: privileges: job protection
Allows any city prosecutor to act as the attorney on behalf of the California National Guard member whose civilian employers have violated the law.
Chapter 243, Statutes of 2008

AB 2508 (Carter-D) 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 May 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.
Vetoed

AB 2568* (Houston-R) Veterans: property tax exemption: principal residence
Exempts fully from property tax the personal residence of a disabled veteran and his/her spouse.
(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 2641 (Cook-R) Military service: protection: mediator
Permits the Governor and each state agency and department to appoint a mediator to take complaints and to coordinate the resolution of those complaints as it relates to alleged violations of the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and Section 395.06 of the Military and Veterans Code, for state employees that are either (1) members of the California National Guard, or (2) members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States. Also requires appointed mediators to become knowledgeable about Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act law and, to the extent possible, work with the California Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense Organization, and the California National Guard.
Chapter 642, Statutes of 2008

AB 2670 (Salas-D) Residential rental projects
Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee for the issuance of private activity bonds which are to be used for qualified residential rental projects.
Chapter 332, Statutes of 2008

AB 2671 (Salas-D) Veterans: prisoners
Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to do the following with respect to inmates who are military veterans: (1) create a prerelease application process for honorably discharged incarcerated veterans, (2) ask whether or not a person is a military veteran when they are committed to prison, and (3) make the number of incarcerated veterans available to the Legislature annually commencing on 7/1/09.
Vetoed

AB 2773 (Price-D) Veterans: Small Business Procurement and Contract Act
Increases the maximum amount of a contract for goods, services, or information technology that may be awarded to a certified small business, including a micro business and a disabled veteran business enterprise without complying with specified competitive bidding requirements, from $100,000 to $250,000. Requires the contractor to report the actual percentage of small business or disabled veteran business enterprise participation that was achieved. Increases the minimum threshold for projects covered under the State Contract Act from $100,000 to $250,000.
(Died in Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 2828 (Salas-D) Veterans' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Fund
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a grant application to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the purposes of funding community-based organizations, certified by the department, to provide substance abuse and mental health services to veterans. Requires that all grant money awarded to the department by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration be deposited into the Veterans' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Fund, a special fund the bill creates, and from which moneys will be appropriated by the Legislature to the department for purposes of funding community-based organizations that provide substance abuse and mental health programs that benefit California veterans and to pay reasonable administrative expenses. Also requires the department to develop a process by which to certify community-based organizations that receive funding, and requires the department to establish criteria of success for the purposes of determining renewal of funding to those community-based organizations.
Vetoed

AB 3009* (Brownley-D) Veterans: sales tax
Requires that for purposes of the Sales and Use Tax Law, specified United States veterans are to be considered consumers of, and not retailers of, food products and nonalcoholic beverages they sell.
(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 3016 (Cook-R) Military family: relief fund
Provides that contributions made to the existing California Military Family Relief Fund are to be used to provide funeral and grants to reserve members of the United States Armed Forces, and that grants shall no longer be restricted to members of the California National Guard.
Chapter 645, Statutes of 2008

AB 3065 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: public employment
Permits a person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty, to be eligible to apply for promotional civil service examinations, including examinations for career executive assignments, for which they meet the minimum qualifications as prescribed by the class specification.
Chapter 590, Statutes of 2008

AB 3066 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: unemployment insurance: Employment Training Panel
Expands the number of those specified projects that qualify for priority funding from the Employment Training Panel to include projects that support veterans and members of the California National Guard, especially those individuals who have become disabled as a result of military service. Requires the Employment Training Panel to include in its three-year plan, goals, objectives, and strategies to support target populations, including veterans.
Vetoed

AB 3067 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Military and veterans: Veterans' Rental Housing Act
Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide rental housing for veterans, as provided. Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a Veterans' Rental Housing Debenture Finance Committee, to issue debentures to finance veterans' rental housing. Provides that revenues generated from the sale of the debentures be deposited in the Veterans' Rental Housing Debenture Fund, which shall be continuously appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for purposes of the bill.
(Died in Senate Veterans Affairs Committee)

AB 3082 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: benefits
Requires the Department of Health Care Services to identify veterans enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, and to assist them in obtaining federal veterans benefits.
(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 3083 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Veterans: mental health
Requires the Department of Health Care Services to seek federal funding for mental health services for veterans, expands the definition of serious mental illness," and requires available services for these illnesses be provided to veterans.
Chapter 591, Statutes of 2008

ACR 148 (Anderson-R) Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Highway
Designates State Highway Route 52 in San Diego County as the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Highway. Requests the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing that special designation and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.
(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

ACR 151 (Cook-R) Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Week
Recognizes 12/10 through 12/14/08 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Week.
Resolution Chapter 163, Statutes of 2008

AJR 63 (Sharon Runner-R) Qualified veterans' mortgage bonds
Memorializes the Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation that would revise provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to authorize increased issuance of qualified veterans' mortgage bonds by specified states to fund home purchase and home improvement loans to specified veterans.
(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

HR 10 (Davis-D) Tuskegee Airmen
Commends the Congress of the United States on awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen.
(Died in Assembly Rules Committee)

HR 29 (DeVore-R) 100th Anniversary of the United States Army Reserve
Honors and congratulates the Army Reserve on its 100th anniversary, which shall be celebrated on 4/23/08, recognizes the vital contributions of all former and current members of the Army Reserve, who have served honorably in every conflict since World War I, and supports the continued and steadfast efforts of current reservists in the defense of the United States.
Adopted by the Assembly

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