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: continue reading

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HEARINGS CONTINUE ON WIDE RANGE OF BILLS

The committees in the State Legislature continue to be very busy with hearings on all the bills that have been introduced this year. Here are a few of the significant events of the past week.

AB 2449 Military service: privileges: job protection. (Mike Davis, Los Angeles)
Existing law provides protections for members of the National Guard ordered into active state or federal service for emergency purposes, and for reservists called to active duty. Protections are provided for these persons during their period of military service with respect to their private employment rights upon return from service, and authorizes a district attorney of the county in which an employer maintains a place of business to act as an attorney on behalf of a service member in any action against an employer who fails or refuses to comply with those provisions.
This bill would expand those provisions by additionally allowing a city attorney of the city in which an employer maintains a place of business to act as an attorney on behalf of a service member against an employer who fails or refuses to comply with those provisions.
Passed by Assembly Committees on Veterans Affairs, Judiciary, and Appropriations.
This bill is sponsored by the California State Commanders Veterans Council. continue reading

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SCR 109 MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL INTERCHANGE

BILL NUMBER: SCR 109
Recommend support
Pete Conaty
Pete Conaty & Associates
1107 9th Street, Suite 530
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 492-0550
(916) 492-8957 fax

Introduced by Senator Cedillo
April 16, 2008

Relative to the Medal of Honor Recipient Eugene A. Obregon, USMC, Memorial Interchange.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 109, as introduced, Cedillo. The Medal of Honor Recipient Eugene A. Obregon, USMC, Memorial Interchange

This measure would designate the freeway interchange involving State Highway Routes 5, 10, 60, and 101, commonly referred to as the East Los Angeles Interchange, the Medal of Honor Recipient Eugene A. Obregon, USMC, Memorial Interchange. The measure also would request
the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to
erect those signs.

Fiscal committee: yes. continue reading

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ACTION NEEDED TO STOP AB 2994 THIS WEEK

AB2994 (Lieber), which is opposed by the California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) on Tuesday, April 29, 4pm in Room 126. I would like as many veterans & representatives to show up to oppose this bill. We need to demonstrate that the veterans are opposed to this attempt to restrict military recruiters in their efforts field an all volunteer military force.

If you don’t show up the committee (which passed a similar bill 2 years ago) will believe you don’t care.

If you cannot make it, please pass along to those who can possibly attend. Those attending should wear your hats.

If you cannot attend, please call or write the legislators on the Assembly Veterans Committee asap. They are listed below.

Asm. Mary Salas (D) [Chair]/916-319-2079
Asm. Paul Cook (R) [Vice Chair]/916-319-2065
Asm. Jim Beall (D)/916-319-2024
Asm. Wilmer Amina Carter (D)/916-319-2062
Asm. Chuck DeVore (R)/916-319-2070
Asm. Ted W. Lieu (D)/916-319-2053
Asm. Sharon Runner (R)/916-319-2036
Asm. Lori Saldana (D)/916-319-2076
Asm. Lois Wolk (D)/916-319-2008

Pete Conaty
Pete Conaty & Associates

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SPONSORED RESOLUTIONS PASSED WEEK OF APRIL 20TH

The California State Commanders Veterans Council’s sponsored Legislative Resolutions commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Army Reserve were both passed by their respective houses this week.

SR 26 by the Senate
Senator Bob Dutton-(R-Inland Empire) authored this resolution for the Council. Dutton was a Sergeant in the CA Guard and also served in the Army Reserve. The following Senators co-authored the resolution: Aanestad, Ackerman, Correa, Cox, Denham, Harman, Maldonado, Margett, Negrete McLeod, Runner, and Wyland.

HR 29 by the Assembly
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore-(R-Irvine) authored this resolution for the Council. DeVore retired from CA Guard as Lt.Col. Entered service in the Army Reserve. Over 70 Assemblymembers joined Mr. DeVore on this resolution as co-authors.

Dana Nichol
Pete Conaty and Associates

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SB 1482 PASSES SENATE’S LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
April 16, 2008

Senator Lou Correa’s Stolen Valor Forfeiture of Office bill, SB 1482 passes unanimously through the Senate Local Government Committee.

SB 1482, authored by Orange County State Senator Lou Correa and co-authored by Assemblymember Nell Soto-Pomona, passed unanimously out of the Senate’s Local Government Committee today. SB 1482 is sponsored by the Armed Forces Retirees Association of California (AFRAC). This bill was prompted by public officials lying about receiving military awards and decorations. Under the Federal “Stolen Valor Act of 2005” such acts are a federal crime, SB 1482 would require that if any public official is convicted under the Federal “Stolen Valor Act” they would automatically forfeit their position.

Similar legislation has previously been signed into law in Sacramento. On October 3, 2005 AB 787, authored by Assembly Member Devore, was signed into law making it a misdemeanor for a person to falsely claim to be, or present him or herself to be a veteran member of the Armed Forces of the United States, with the intent to defraud. This was prior to the passage of the 2005 “Stolen Valor Act” signed a year later by President Bush. The act imposes a term of six months of imprisonment and a maximum $5,000 fine for any false verbal, written or physical claim to an award or decoration authorized for armed service members. continue reading

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STATE LEGISLATURE REACHES IMPORTANT CALENDAR DEADLINE

The State Legislature has now reached an important calendar deadline – with few exceptions, all bills which must be reviewed by the Appropriations Committees must have passed out of the policy committees of the house of origin by Friday, April 18. The following is a summary of those bills which are now moving on to the Appropriations hearings and which are officially supported by the Council:

These bills were passed by the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs:
AB 1758 Postsecondary education. (Chuck DeVore, Irvine)
Would create the California National Guard Education Assistance Program, for the purpose of promoting recruitment and retention of members of the California National Guard. (This bill had also previously been passed by the Committee on Education.)

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.
Note: The bill was opposed by the American Legion. However, during a meeting that was held before the vote by the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs, the VFW and the Legion agreed to an amendment proposed by the Author which will be submitted prior to the hearing by the Committee on Appropriations. The Legion then withdrew their opposition. continue reading

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MILITARY CHILDREN DURING SCHOOL TRANSITIONS AND DEPLOYMENTS

This came to us this AM. Issue has to do with transition between states by military children. DoD supporting efforts to get all states to agree to set of rules to lessen impacts of moves on
school age children. Now asking for our help because CA legislature is going to take this up - tomorrow. Look this over - don’t know if you have heard of this issue - we haven’t talked about it from Chapters before. Perhaps it could be posted to Cal-MOAA web log and member interested
in calling in could do so. Sorry for short fuze. Thanks for considering.

Col Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret
Director, MOAA Council and Chapter Affairs

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Military Children During School Transitions and Deployments

Issue:
Their mobile lifestyle creates tough challenges for children who will have on average six to nine different school systems in their lives from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and more than two during high school alone. The challenges of frequent moves, often compounded by the anxiety of parental separation during deployments, challenges us to ease transition from school to school.

Outcome:
States participate in an interstate compact providing a uniform policy platform for resolving the challenges experienced by military children. continue reading

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