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AB-2703 County veterans service officers.(2013-2014)

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Amended  IN  Senate  August 04, 2014
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 23, 2014
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 01, 2014

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2703

Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Gorell, V. Manuel Pérez, and Salas)
(Principal coauthor: Senator Correa)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Brown, Chávez, Chesbro, Donnelly, Fox, Frazier, Grove, Hagman, Logue, Muratsuchi, Nestande, Pan, and Wagner)
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Berryhill, Block, Corbett, Hueso, Huff, Knight, Nielsen, and Vidak)

February 21, 2014

An act to add Section 972.3 to the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. veterans.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2703, as amended, Quirk-Silva. County veterans service officers.
Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to disburse funds, appropriated to the department for the purpose of supporting county veterans service officers pursuant to the annual Budget Act, on a pro rata basis, to counties that comply with certain conditions. Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to annually determine the amount of new or increased monetary benefits paid to eligible veterans by the federal government attributable to the assistance of county veterans service officers, and requires the department to prepare and transmit its determination for the preceding fiscal year to the Department of Finance and the Legislature on or before October 1 of each year.
This bill would require authorize the department, in conjunction with the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, no later than January July 1, 2015, to develop an allocation formula based upon performance standards that encourage innovation and reward outstanding service by county veterans service officers, and, if that allocation formula is developed, the bill would require those moneys appropriated for support of county veterans service offices in the annual Budget Act to be allocated in accordance with that formula, as specified. The bill would also declare the intent of the Legislature to fund the activities of county veterans service officers, as specified, and to provide an additional $400,000 for disbursement to the counties to encourage innovation and reward outstanding service by these officers.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: TWO_THIRDSMAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to fund the activities of county veterans service officers at the amount provided in the 2013–14 Budget Act and to provide an additional $400,000 for disbursement to the counties to encourage innovation and reward outstanding service by county veterans service officers pursuant to the allocation formula developed pursuant to Section 972.3 of the Military and Veterans Code.

SEC. 2.SECTION 1.

 Section 972.3 is added to the Military and Veterans Code, to read:

972.3.
 The Department of Veterans Affairs shall, may, in conjunction with the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, no later than January July 1, 2015, and in addition to any other distribution formula required under this article, develop an allocation formula based upon performance standards that encourage innovation and reward outstanding service by county veterans service officers. Moneys If that allocation formula is developed, moneys appropriated for this purpose support of county veterans service offices in the annual Budget Act shall be allocated each fiscal year in accordance with that formula among those counties that have established and maintain a county veterans service officer pursuant to Section 970 and any other formula required under this article.

SEC. 3.

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

Approximately 50 percent of the current General Fund appropriation in support of county veteran service offices operations expires on June 30, 2014. In order to provide for continuity of services critical to the successful reintegration of California’s veterans, to increase California’s utilization of veteran benefits, and to ensure veteran’s claims for benefits are processed in a timely manner, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.