B. CALIFORNIA STATE VETERANS HOMES
AB 1088 Taxpayer contributions: California Veterans Fund. (Nathan Fletcher, San Diego. Coauthors: Marty Block, San Diego; Connie Conway, Visalia; Chuck DeVore, Irvine; Danny Gilmore, Hanford; V. Manuel Perez, Cathredral City; and Brian Nestande, Palm Desert.) [TWO YEAR BILL] [UPDATED JULY 3, 2010]
DESCRIPTION: Taxpayers are allowed to contribute amounts in excess of their tax liability for the support of specified funds or accounts, including, among others, the Veterans’ Quality of Life Fund. Moneys contributed to this fund are expended for administrative costs and for distribution into the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund for each of the veterans’ homes.
The authorization for this tax check off item has expired due the the failure of the total contributions to reach the amount of $250,000 as required by the Franchise Tax Board. This bill would authorize a check off for the California Veterans Fund which would replace the previous fund and would have the same purpose of providing support to the MWR Funds for the state veterans homes.
STATUS:
Referred to Assembly Committees on Veterans Affairs, and on
Revenue and Taxation. A hearing is scheduled by the Committee on
Veterans Affairs on April 28. Hearing was cancelled.
TWO YEAR BILL. Passed by Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation
January 11 (vote 5-0 --Calderon, Coto, Harkey, Ma and Nestande supporting;
DeVore, Beall, Portatino and Fong not voting.) Passed by Assembly
Committee on Veterans Affairs January 12 (vote 8-0), and by Committee on
Appropriations January 21 (vote 17-0). Passed by the Assembly January 27
(vote 71-0).
In the Senate, referred to the Committees on Veterans Affairs and Revenue and
Taxation. Passed by Committee on Veterans Affairs April 14 (vote 4-0).
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:
Supported by Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California;
American Legion, Department of California; AMVETS, Department of California;
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council; Chula Vista Veterans Home
Support Foundation; Sacramento Veterans Affiliated Council; San Diego Veterans
Advisory Council.
AB 1703
State Nursing Assumption Program of Loans for Education:
veterans homes. (Stephen Knight, Lancaster)
[UPDATED JULY 3]
DESCRIPTION: Under the State Nursing Assumption Program of Loans
for Education (SNAPLE), any person who is enrolled in an eligible institution,
and who agrees to work full time as a registered nurse in a state-operated
24-hour facility, including a prison, psychiatric hospital, or veterans home,
that employs registered nurses, is eligible to receive a conditional loan
assumption agreement, to be redeemed upon becoming employed as a clinical
registered nurse in one of the state-operated facilities that employs registered
nurses and that has a clinical registered nurse vacancy rate of greater than
10%. The SNAPLE program provides for a progressive assumption of the amount of a
qualifying loan over 4 consecutive years of qualifying clinical registered
nursing service, up to a total loan assumption of $20,000.
This bill would provide for an additional loan assumption of up to $5,000 per
year of additional qualifying service, with a maximum loan assumption amount
equal to the participant’s total outstanding liability under the qualifying
loans, for participants completing 5 or more years of qualifying clinical
registered nursing service at a state-operated veterans home.
STATUS:
Passed by Assembly Committee on
Higher Education March 16 (vote 8-0), and by the Committee on Appropriations
April 14. Passed by Assembly April 22 (vote 74-0).
In the Senate, passed by the Committee on Education June 16 (vote 6-0).
AB 2087
Veterans homes: financial status investigation.
(Norma J.
Torres, Pomona)This bill has been amended to a different subject. It is now
reported under CAL-VET Farm and Home Loan Program.
DESCRIPTION: The California Department of Veterans Affairs is authorized,
under current law, to investigate the financial status of veterans who are
residents of the state veterans homes to ensure that the veteran is unable to
pay for necessary hospital or domiciliary care outside of the home. The
bill states the intent to make minor changes to the law, and does make one
grammatical change in the wording. The bill is apparently a "spot" bill
for future use.
AB 2156
Military and veterans: Veterans' Home Allied Council. (Noreen
Evans, Santa Rosa) [UPDATED JULY 3]
DESCRIPTION: Each of the state veterans homes has an Allied
Council, elected by the residents of the homes, which serves as an advisory body
to the Administrator of the home. This bill would permit the Council to
represent the veterans who reside in the home in matters before the State
Legislature. In
the course of providing that representation, the council shall comply with the
following requirements:
(a) The council’s representation shall be approved by a majority of the voting
members of the council.
(b) The council shall not engage in any campaign or endorse public candidates in
connection with that representation.
(c) The council’s actions shall be in accordance with its constitution, bylaws,
and policies and procedures.
Presumably the intent is to clearly give the representatives of the residents
access to the Legislative committees even if the Council is acting in opposition
to the position of the Administrator, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Reportedly this issue arose in connection with the action of the CDVA in 2009 to
increase the fees charged to residents of the State Veterans Homes. When
this action was taken, the Department indicated that there would be only a few
of the residents who would actually be affected by the increase and that none of
them had raised objections. It now appears that there may be a large
number of residents affected and that there definitely are objections, even to
the point that some residents are leaving the homes.
Veterans at the Yountville home say the California
Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) legal counsel has advised that the council
is not allowed to address the legislature as a body. The counsel has told
veterans they can represent themselves but not the home before the legislature.
As amended, the bill specifically authorizes the Allied Council at each of the
California Veterans Homes to represent the veterans at the respective Homes
before the Legislature.
STATUS: Passed by Assembly
Committee on Veterans Affairs April 13 (vote 9-0), and by the Committee on
Elections and Redistricting April 21. Passed by the Committee on
Appropriations April 28 (vote 15-0). Passed by the Assembly May 6 (vote
74-0).
In the Senate, passed by the Committee on Veterans Affairs June 22 (vote 4-0).
AB 2309
Veterans' Home of California. (Nathan Fletcher, San Diego.
Principal coauthor: Mary Salas, Chula Vista. Coauthors, Assembly: Marty
Block, San Diego; Diane Harkey, Laguna Niguel; Kevin Jeffries, Riverside; Ted
Lieu, Torrance; V. Manuel Perez, Cathedral City; and Lori Saldana, San Diego.)
[UPDATED JULY 3]
DESCRIPTION: Would designate the California State Veterans' Home,
Chula Vista, as the "John Smith Memorial Veterans' Home." John Smith, who
recently died, was an active leader of the veterans community in San Diego.
At the time of his death, he was also a member of the National Legislative
Committee of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
STATUS: Passed by Assembly
Committee on Veterans Affairs April 27(vote 8-0). Passed by the Assembly
May 10 (vote 71-0).
In the Senate, passed by the Committee on Veterans Affairs June 22 (vote 4-0).
Passed by the Senate July 1 (vote 35-0).
AB 2568
Veterans Home of California. (Nathan Fletcher, San Diego)
[UPDATED MAY 21]
[FAILED PASSAGE, ASSEMBLY POLICY COMMITTEE]
This is a spot bill for future use.
SB 1002
Veterans Home of California. (Patricia Wiggins, Santa Rosa)
SB 1003 Veterans Home of
California. (Patricia Wiggins, Santa Rosa)
[UPDATED JULY 3]
DESCRIPTION: Both bills would update sections of the California
Veterans Code to specifically list the existing State Veterans Homes at Barstow,
Chula Vista, Lancaster, and Ventura, in addition to Yountville.
STATUS:
Both bills were passed by Senate
Committee on Veterans Affairs April 13 (vote 4-0), and placed on third reading
for final Floor vote in the Senate.
However, SB 1002 was placed on the inactive file by Senator Ducheny (San Diego).
Senators do not have to state a reason for doing this, but no further action can
be taken on the bill until that Senator requests that it be moved back to the
active file.
SB 1003 was passed by the Senate May 3 (vote 34-0).
In the Assembly, passed by the Committee on Veterans Affairs June 19 (vote 9-0).
Last modified: 07/04/10