BILL ANALYSIS
AB 866
Page 1
Corrected: 1/15/2008
Date of Hearing: January 15, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Mary Salas, Chair
AB 866 (Davis) - As Amended: January 14, 2007
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to
give priority to certain members of the California National
Guard (CNG) and US Armed Forces Reserves (USAFR). Specifically,
this bill :
1) Requires DMV to give priority customer service to CNG
and USAFR members who have valid military identification
cards, have been ordered to active duty, and provide
verification of such orders upon DMV's request.
2) Defines priority customer service as:
a) First priority in receiving DMV counter assistance,
scheduling DMV appointments, or receiving other DMV
services, and
b) Prioritization of every application or document filed
or submitted to DMV.
EXISTING LAW :
1) Provides that a California driver's license held by any
person in the American armed forces shall continue in full
force and effect for the duration of the licensee's service
while he or she is absent from California, and for up to 30
days after the licensee is honorably separated or returns to
California.
2)Requires DMV to waive all penalties that may be due for late
payment of vehicle registration renewal fees for any period
during which the registered vehicle's owner is deployed to a
location outside of the state.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
AMENDMENTS: The amendments, as reflected in RN# 08 00254, were
debated and accepted by the author during the Assembly Committee
AB 866
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on Transportation's hearing on January 7, 2008. The amendments
were not processed in time for the bill to be in print prior to
the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs' hearing on January
15, 2008. The comments reflect changes as proposed by the
Assembly Committee on Transportation.
COMMENTS : The author asserts that he has introduced this bill
in order to recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by
all military service members and to ease the burden they
experience in tending to their personal affairs when they are
called to active duty. "I believe the fact that men and women
in the military have given their life in order that we might
enjoy the freedoms that make our country great is reason enough
to provide a public service that recognizes this extraordinary
duty they pay to our country and our state. It is a small,
no-cost privilege earned from the valiant service to our country
and our state. During a budget shortfall year, it expresses
our gratitude as our challenge for democracy continues
throughout the world. They would be served anyway, but this
bill will expedite the order in which they are served."
While some might fear that other groups could be encouraged by
this bill to seek similar preferential treatment, the time
pressure posed by imminent military deployment would seem to
present a rather unique circumstance. However, this bill is not
clear on whether a soldier's deployment is in support of the
current conflicts in Afghanistan and/or Iraq. This is important
because, as of June 2007, there were 154,776 Californians on
active duty and 57,848 on reserve status or in the National
Guard. There is no way to quantify the level of services a
soldier may need.
This bill does not establish what constitutes acceptable
verification of a soldier being ordered to deploy. Deployment
notifications are usually issued through written orders. Once a
soldier receives these orders he or she is typically given time
to conduct personal business that can not be conducted during a
deployment. This bill does nothing to ensure that soldiers are
given the time they need to care for their personal needs.
Additionally, this bill does not establish a time line prior to
deployment when DMV would have to provide priority services. In
some instances soldier may have written notice of deployment as
far out as six months prior to deployment. The committee may
wish to establish if there should be a set time by upon
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receiving written notice that a soldier must inform DMV of his
or her need for priority service.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Worthen / V. A. / (916) 319-3550