Legislative Update Report - March 31, 2007

[boardman]

Legislative Update Report - California Veterans Affairs - March 31, 2007

The State Legislature started their Spring Break at the close of business on March 29. Some of the committees have started the review process of the bills which were introduced for this session. The Members will return to Sacramento on April 9 and continue the committee hearings on a rapid pace. They are faced with their self-imposed schedule which requires that all bills that involve funding must be passed by the policy committee in the house of origin by April 27. Two weeks later brings up a similar deadline for those bills which do not involve funding.

The following are some of the significant actions of the committees so far:
AB 279 Unlawful demonstrations: military funerals. (Bob Huff, City of Industry)
Would make it an infraction, punishable by a fine not exceeding $250, for a person to engage in disruptive activity at a funeral of a member or former member of the Armed Forces during the time period beginning one hour prior to the funeral and ending one hour after the conclusion of the funeral.
The bill was scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Judiciary March 27, but was postponed by the author. This may signify that a major amendment is in process. The bill was severely criticized by the committee analyst and would probably have faced a difficult time if the hearing were held as scheduled.

ACTION RECOMMENDED: At the present time, the bill has 8 coauthors (or sponsors): Assemblymembers Bill Maze, Visalia; Joel Anderson, El Cajon; John Benoit, Riverside; Paul Cook, Yucaipa; Michael Duvall, Brea; Jean Fuller, Bakersfield; and Martin Garrick, Carlsbad; and Senator Jim Battin, Palm Desert. Organizations should request that their members try to make contact during the Spring Recess and ask for the support on this issue from other members of the State Assembly who are not on this short list.
Members of the State Assembly are listed at: http://www.califveterans.com/State%20Assembly.htm
Information provided on this page includes both the mail address and e-mail or other electronic mail addresses.

AB 11 Vehicles: special license plates. (National Guard) (Chuck DeVore, Irvine)
Provides for the issuance of special license plates by the department for an active member of the California National Guard and exempts the license plates from the payment of a $40 application fee and a $30 transfer fee.
Passed by Assembly Committee on Transportation March 26.

AB 111 National Guard Assumption Program of Loans for Education: operative date. (Sam Blakeslee, San Luis Obispo)
Extends the program life to July 1, 2010, or three additional years. This program is supposed to provide a minimal education benefit for members of the California National Guard but has never been put into effect because no funds were provided in the budget. The Governor’s 2007-2008 State Budget, for the first time, provides funds.
Passed by Assembly Committee on Higher Education March 13.

AB 418 Vehicles: fees: deployed National Guard member. (Lori Saldana, San Diego)
Would provide an exemption for a vehicle owned by a member of the National Guard who has been deployed to a location outside of the state from certain fees, including vehicle license fees, as is currently provided for a disabled veteran, a former American prisoner of war, or a veteran who is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.
Passed by Assembly Committee on Transportation March 26.

AB 950 Public postsecondary education: resident classification: military veterans and members of their immediate families. (Mary Salas, Chula Vista)
This bill would remove the current one year limitation for graduate students at California State University or University of California who are on active duty in the Armed Forces and stationed in California, and who are granted residency classification for purposes of determining tuition and fee payments.
Passed by the Assembly Committee on Higher Education March 27.

AB 1485 Property tax exemption: spouses of deceased members of the United States Armed Forces. (Kevin Jeffries, Temecula)
This bill has been amended to fully exempt from property taxation the principal residence of a veteran who is totally disabled, or is blind or has lost the use of two or more limbs, as a result of injury or disease incurred in military service, and to provide the same benefit to the unmarried surviving spouse of a member of the United States Armed Forces that died as a result of a service-connected disease or injury.
Scheduled for a hearing by the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation on May 7.

SB 630 Veterans Homes. (Samuel Aanestad, Nevada City)
Appropriates $30,000,000 from the Public Buildings Construction Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Home project. The funds are needed due to increased estimates for construction of the homes in West Los Angeles, Saticoy, and Lancaster, and because of delays in the Congressional appropriations of federal funds.
Scheduled for a hearing by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on April 10.

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

Bill Manes, Legislative Officer
California State Commanders Veterans Council