MANY BILLS THROUGH COMMITTEE HEARINGS THIS PAST WEEK

The State Legislature passed another calendar deadline on May 2, which was the final date for policy committees to pass any bills that originated in their own house. This has had the effect of pushing a large number of bills through the committee hearings in the past week. There are two more important deadline dates coming up this month:
May 23 is the final date for the Appropriations Committees to complete action on the fiscal bills that originated in their own house;
May 30 is the final date for floor votes on all bills that originated in their own house.

Here are some of the more significant actions this past week on veterans bills:

AB 1814 Veterans claims. (Chuck DeVore, Irvine and Paul Cook, Yucaipa)
VFW sponsored bill to permit California Department of Veterans Affairs to contract with veteran service organizations.
The bill is now scheduled for a hearing by the Assembly Committee on Appropriations on May 14.

AB 2449 Military service: privileges: job protection. (Mike Davis, Los Angeles)
This bill would allow a city attorney of the city in which an employer maintains a place of business to act as an attorney on behalf of a member of the National Guard, or a member of the military reserves, against an employer who fails or refuses to comply with the provisions in the law regarding re-employment rights upon return from active service when the member was ordered into active state or federal service for emergency purposes
Passed by the Assembly and sent to the Senate. This bill is sponsored by the California State Commanders Veterans Council.

AB 2671 Prisoners: veterans. (Mary Salas, Chula Vista)
Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish an Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program to assist honorably discharged incarcerated veterans in successfully obtaining federal and state benefits.
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs and other appropriate state departments to provide staff assistance necessary to effectuate and operate the program.
Also requires each county sheriff and the Secretary of the Department of Corrections to ascertain whether a newly committed prisoner is a military veteran. If the person is a veteran, the county sheriff or the Secretary shall report the veteran status to the county veteran service officer.
The bill has now been passed by the Assembly Committees on Public Safety and on Veterans Affairs, and will go to the Committee on Appropriations.

AB 2994 Pupil Records: release of information. (Sally Lieber, Mountain View)
The bill would place restrictions on the release of the name, address and telephone number of high school students to military recruiters, institutions of higher education, or prospective employers, and would also place restrictions on the use of personal information that is obtained from the admission on campus of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test by military recruiters.
The bill is opposed by the by the California State Commanders Veterans Council. However, the Committee Consultant did not report any opposition to the bill in his analysis that was given to the Committee. The bill was passed, on partisan votes, by the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs.

ACR 102 Airborne Memorial Highway. (Audra Strickland, Westlake Village.)
Would designate State Highway Route 101 from the East Los Angeles interchange to the Oregon border as the Airborne Memorial Highway.
The resolution was amended to require the concurrence by the Boards of Supervisors of each of the 14 counties through which Route 101 passes.
Adopted by the Assembly and sent to the Senate.

SB 1220 Housing: Multifamily Housing Program: veterans. (Gilbert Cedillo, Los Angeles) Would authorize a sponsor of a project funded by the Multifamily Housing Program, to restrict occupancy of a project to persons with veteran status, if the veterans to be served possess significant barriers to social reintegration and employment due to a physical or mental disability, substance abuse, or the effects of long-term homelessness that require specialized treatment and services, and the sponsor also provides, or assists in providing, the specialized treatment and services.
The bill was passed by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing, and has now been passed by the Senate.

SB 1455 Vehicles: specialized license plates. (Dave Cogdill, Fresno; and Jeff Denham, Modesto.) A authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to sponsor a Gold Star Family specialized license plate. The Department would be authorized to establish a fund which would receive donations to offset the costs of the Department of Motor Vehicles for issuing the plates. The applicants for the special license plates would not be required to pay fees for issuance, renewal, replacement, or transfer of the plates.
After great difficulty in getting the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing to even consider the bill, that Committee finally did pass the bill unanimously.
There is a similar bill in the Assembly, AB 2896, which has also passed the Transportation Committee of that house. However, the Assembly bill would require that the Gold Star family member to pay for the license plates, whereas the Senate bill provides for donations to a fund that would pay the costs.

SB 1572 Veterans Bond Act of 2008 (Mark Wyland, San Juan Capistrano/Carlsbad)
Provides for a Bond Act to be submitted to the voters at the November 4, 2008, General Election to authorize a State General Obligation Bond issue of $900 million for funding of the Cal-Vet Farm and Home Loan Program.
Passed by the Senate.

Complete information on all state legislation involving veterans issues is available at the website: http://www.califveterans.com.

The program for the Assembly program to recognize the Veterans of the Year in each Assembly District on May 7 is now finalized. A total of 42 Members of the Assembly have taken part in the program by nominating veterans to be honored. Please note that the luncheon reservations are now closed since 120 reservations have already been received and that is the maximum seating capability for the room.

Bill Manes, Legislative Officer
California State Commanders Veterans Council

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