NEWSLETTER SUPPLEMENT
VETERANS ISSUES 2008 - BILLS PASSED IN THIS CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE SESSION

     Well, it's finally over.  The budget has been signed such as it is, and finally all the bills have been signed or vetoed.  Following are the bills concerning veteran issues signed by the Governor.
►AB190 - Vehicles:  Veterans:  Parking. - Bass, LA. - Allows a vehicle displaying the following special license plates to be parked free of charge in a metered parking space:  (requires that compliance with this provision by the local authority would be contingent upon the approval of the governing body)  Pearl Harbor Survivor, Legion of Valor, Former POW, Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart.   
►AB1952 - Business Licensing:  exemptions:  Veterans - Bert, Santa Rosa - Under existing law, certain persons honorably discharged from the military, service of the US who served during specified times are exempt from payment of specified state and local business license taxes or fees.  This bill would remove the requirement that such persons be physically unable to obtain a livelihood by manual labor
►AB2171 - Purple Heart Memorial - Cook, Yucaipa - Proposes that the Military Order of the Purple Heart be authorized to construct and maintain a memorial at the Capital Park.
►AB2449 - Military Service: Privileges: Job Protection. - Davis, LA - Devore, Irvine - Portantino, Pasadena.- 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.
►AB2641 - Military Service Protection:  Ombudsman. - Cook, Yucaipa. - Would require the Governor and each state agency and department to appoint an ombudsman to take complaints, as specified, and to resolve and coordinate the resolution of those complaints from state employees that are members of the CA National Guard or members of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States.
►AB2670 - Department of Veterans Affairs:  Qualified Residential Rental Project Programs. - Salas, Chula Vista - Would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to apply to the CA Debt Limit Allocation Committee for the issuance of a private activity bond under the qualified residential rental project program, as provided.  Under existing law, state or local agency applicants ay apply for the issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds under six different programs, including the qualified residential rental project program.  (This program, under the CDVA, would be intended to provide rental housing for homeless veterans.)
►AB3016 - Personal Income Taxes:  Contributions:  California Military Family Relief Fund. - Cook, Yucaipa  and several other legislators.  Would extend the benefits of the California Military Family Relief Fund to California residents who are members of the military reserves and who have been called to active duty.  As amended, funds which are donated and transferred to the Fund prior to January 1, 2009, would remain as funds reserved to the CA National Guard.
►AB3065 - Public Employment:  Veterans. - Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs -   Would permit a person retired from the United States military honorably discharged from the United States military honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty, to be eligible to apply for promotional civil service examinations, including examinations for career executive assignments, in the State Legislature.
►AB3083 - Mental Health:  Veterans. - Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. - Would require counties to assist veterans in accessing federal mental health care services.  Would also provide that a veteran shall not be denied services based on his or her ability to obtain services through another entity as long as the mental health needs of the veteran are not currently being met.  The bill would also specifically include post-traumatic stress disorder in the definition of "serious mental disorder."
►SB1220 - Housing:  Multifamily Housing Program: veterans. - Cedillo, LA - Would authorize a sponsor, as defined, 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.
►SB1245 - California Mexican American Veterans' Memorial - Negrete-McCloud, Montclair. - Would require the Department of General Services, in consultation with the CA Mexican American Veterans' Memorial Beautification and Enhancement Committee to accomplish specified goals with respect to the design and construction of the memorial.
►SB1274 - Patriotic Exercise and Instruction - Wyland, San Juan - Denham, Merced. - Current law requires schools to conduct appropriate [patriotic exercises.  The Pledge of Allegiance satisfies the requirements of current law, but is not the oly patriotic e     xercise that can satisfy the law.  This bill has been extensively amended.  Currently, this bill would require that, when pupils are instructed with regard to the words of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America as part of these patriotic exercises, the instruction ensure that pupils understand the concepts of "pledge", "allegiance," "republic," and "indivisible."  The bill would require that pupils understand the importance of the pledge as an expression of patriotism, love of country, and pride in the United States of America.
Continues on Page two of Veterans' Issues 2008.