With the continuation of the war in Iraq, the following legislation was enacted to assist veterans and their families: SB 1244 (Soto) authorizing a uniform and travel allowance of $125 annually to volunteer members of the State Military Reserve or Naval Militia and appropriates $75,00 from the General Fund to the Military Department for that purpose; SB 1637 (Senate Veterans Affairs Committee) ensuring that disabled veterans will receive the disabled veterans property tax exemption to which they are entitled; SB 1697 (Soto) giving persons serving on state active duty the same employment/reemployment rights as those working for any other state government agency or private employee; SB 1720 (Chesbro) requiring the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, or their designees, to assist any veterans returning to California in obtaining a best practice health screening for exposure to depleted uranium; AB 2268 (Saldana) allowing the Department of Fish and Game to issue sport fishing licenses free of charge to an eligible nonprofit organization for day fishing trips that provide recreational rehabilitation therapy for either active duty members of the United States military; AB 2433 (Negrete McLeod) enacting the National Guard Family Resource Center Act; AB 2550 (Blakeslee) providing qualified members of the California National Guard, or a widow, widower, or spouse of a qualified member, preference points, as specified, for any civil service employment; AB 2579 (Runner) updating California military law in the area of punishments available for state courts-martial by applying the same standards as the federal Uniform Code of Military Justice; AB 2586 (Parra) allowing the court to consider a treatment program, in lieu of incarceration, as a condition of probation in cases involving military veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, or psychological problems stemming from their military service; AB 2740 (La Malfa) allowing veterans’ organizations to have preference over other groups to conduct assemblies for educational purposes on school facilities or grounds on Veterans Day; AB 2777 (Huff) expanding the list of veterans organizations protected under the Military and Veterans Code from false representation; AB 2844 (Nation) enacting the California Veterans Mental Health Services Act of 2006; AB 2884 (Baca) expanding the health care coverage protections for members of the United States Military Reserve and National Guard who are called to active duty, to include all health care providers rather than just those regulated by the Department of Insurance; and AB 3035 (Laird) creating the California Central Coast State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord Endowment Fund.
Vetoed veteran-related legislation of note was AB 2750 (Nava) creating the California Veterans and National Guard Benefit Commission.