LEGISLATIVE SESSION MAY CONTINUE FOR SOME TIME

In looking at the Legislative Calendar, the date of June 27 was the last day for policy committees to complete their actions on bills. There may be a few exceptions granted by the respective Rules Committees but, generally speaking, the Legislature observes this date so some bills will die under this rule. The Legislature is supposed to start a Summer Recess on July 3 – if the Budget Bill has been passed. So far, there is no sign that this requirement will be met so the expectation is that the legislative session will continue for some time. Some political commentators are predicting that there will not be a State Budget until sometime in September or even October. If that happens, other deadline dates will have to be adjusted. The next important date, other than the Budget matter, is August 15 when the Appropriations Committees are supposed to complete their actions on the bills.

The following is a summary concerning some of the most significant bills. continue reading

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HELP PASS STOLEN VALOR BILL/LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS
June 27, 2008

SB 1482 passed off of the Assembly floor today 63-0 (otherAssemblymembers may add on in favor). SB 1482 is authored by Senator Lou Correa-Santa Ana and is sponsored by the Armed Forces Retirees Association of California (AFRAC). Supporting SB 1482 were the American Legion, the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, and the California State Commanders Veterans Council.

SB 1482 will make it state law that any local elected official who is found guilty of the federal Stolen Valor Act will have to forfeit their office.

Dana Nichol
Conaty & Associates

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The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 (the Act), signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 20, 2006,[1] is a U.S. law that broadens the provisions of previous U.S. law addressing the unauthorized wear, manufacture, sale or claim (either written or verbal) of any military decorations and medals. It is a federal misdemeanor offense, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not more than 1 year and/or a fine; the scope previously covered only the Medal of Honor. continue reading

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SUPPORT NATIONAL GUARD TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The Cal Guard needs help with its tuition assistance program which is currently up for consideration in the Legislature’s Budget Conference Committee. See message below. When calling, refer to the conference committee item as follows:

Item 8940, Issue 312, page 410 of the Conference Committee Report. Ask them to fund the $1,819,000 for the tuition benefit program.

Dana Nichol
Pete Conaty and Associates continue reading

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MANY NEW VETERANS ELIGIBLE FOR CAL-VET LOW INTEREST LOANS

Today the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008, the “HEART Act,” was signed into law by President Bush. Actively pushed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Department of Veterans Affairs, this legislation makes veterans who entered active military duty after December 31, 1976 eligible to apply for Qualified Veterans Mortgage Bonds (QVMB) under the state’s longstanding Cal-Vet Home Loan Program.

“All California veterans deserve our gratitude, whenever and wherever they served our country,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “Today is a great day now that more veterans will be eligible for Cal-Vet home loans. We have been working toward this goal for a long time and now more veterans will have access to the low-interest home loans that veterans from World War I to the Vietnam War have enjoyed.” continue reading

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NO BUDGET AS DEADLINE PASSES

This is the date, set by the State Constitution, for the Legislature to pass the State Budget and send it to the Governor. As is customary, the date has passed without notice, and without a Budget.

Both houses of the Legislature have draft Budgets under development in Committee but have not yet taken any Committee votes. For the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are significant differences in plans by the two Committees. In both cases, the total Budget for the Department starts at about $172 million before reductions are made to try to address the State’s fiscal crisis. The Assembly Committee reduces that amount by a relatively modest $3.6 million, or about 2 percent. However, the Senate Committee reduces it by $60.5 million, or 35 percent. The Senate expects to make up almost half of this cut by some $28.4 million in federal reimbursements. There is no indication why the Senate expects the Federal Government to be so generous, or why the Assembly was not including a similar amount or reimbursement. The Assembly version of the bill shows only $172,000 for the same budget line item. These differences will have to be resolved by a Conference Committee even before there are any Floor votes in either house. Obviously, if the Senate version prevails, and if it turns out that the federal funds are not actually available, the Department’s operations would be severely curtailed. continue reading

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STATE LEGISLATURE PASSES MAJOR CALENDAR DEADLINE

As of this date, the State Legislature has passed a major calendar deadline in that both the Assembly and the Senate must have completed action on the bills that were introduced in their respective houses since last January.

The following is a summary of some of the bills that have successfully completed this initial stage:

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. continue reading

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MEDICARE/TRICARE PHYSICIAN REIMBURSEMENT RATES

As we honor the brave men and women of America’s Armed Forces this week, their health care providers are facing a major battle of their own. On July 1, doctors who care for the millions of active duty and retired military personnel and their families will be hit by a staggering 10 percent Medicare cut. Since the military health care program for these veterans and active duty service members is tied directly to Medicare, these cuts threaten their access to health care.

This month the Patients’ Action Network is introducing you to real doctors from around the country through a series of two-minute videos. Last week you met Dr. Wehby. Now please meet Dr. Alan Routman of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Listen as he describes how these cuts will affect veterans, seniors and their families. Then tell your own story .

Call or e-mail Representative Bono, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer. Urge them to support our troops and stop these cuts. Use the Patients Grassroots Hotline at (888) 434-6200.

Veterans, active duty personnel and their families have all sacrificed so much to protect our freedoms. Make sure Representative Bono, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer understand they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their health care at home.

Submitted By: Judity Tilt/Palm Springs Chapter

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NATIONAL AND STATE LEVEL PERSPECTIVES

What I am going to say is that to work legislation properly, one needs to be alert and in touch every day. One must have email and web access, and these tools must be used regularly. Without email and web access, one is operating in the dark ages.

That said, let me give our worthy leaders some suggestions.

The most important task we (MOAA) have is to influence public policy. Our combined efforts protect the earned benefits of our members, all who wear or have worn the uniforms of our seven uniformed services, their families and survivors. This effort must be across the board, regardless of rank or branch of service or status, regular, reserve and guard.

The process is much too difficult to attempt to work all issues and all constituencies alone. We must work in concert with others, whether they be other Veterans organizations, our own members, our legislative advocates and those volunteers whom we trust. None of us can stay on top of all the issues alone. continue reading

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