BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 287
Author: Frazier (D), et al.
Amended: 4/29/13 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/25/13
AYES: Hueso, Knight, Block, Correa, Lieu, Nielsen, Roth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/16/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Vietnam veterans memorial: update
SOURCE : Vietnam Veterans of America California State
Council
California State Commanders Veterans Council
DIGEST : This bill, until January 1, 2020, requires the
Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to annually compile a
list of names of Vietnam veterans to be added to the Memorial,
as specified and requires CalVet to form a committee to review
and consider requests from the public to include names on the
Memorial. This bill authorizes the names on the list to be
added to the Memorial if specified requirements are met,
including that adequate private funding is available.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides authorization and establishes
a process for designing and constructing a Vietnam Veterans
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Memorial.
This bill:
1.Requires CalVet to compile a list of names of deceased Vietnam
veterans to update the names currently depicted on Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
2.Directs CalVet to compile this list by November 1, 2014, and
to update it annually by November 1.
3.Requires CalVet, by July 2014, to form a committee to review
and consider requests to include names on the Memorial.
Requires the committee be chaired by the CalVet Secretary (or
designee), and include three representatives from the
California State Commanders Veterans Council and two
representatives from the Vietnam Veterans of America,
California State Council.
4.Provides that the list contain the names of persons not
included on the Memorial at the time the List is compiled,
including the names of veterans inadvertently left off and the
names of veterans who later died as a result of illness or
injuries, including physical or mental injuries documented by
the Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Veterans
Administration, or licensed medical professionals, that can
reasonably be assumed to have resulted from military service
in the Vietnam War.
5.States that any veterans service organization or individual
may submit the name of a veteran to the committee requesting
it to be included on the list.
6.States that the names on the list may be added to the Memorial
if adequate private funding is available and there is
sufficient space on the Memorial to accommodate the names.
7.Sunsets the bill on January 1, 2020.
Background
The Vietnam War was fought from 1961 to 1975, and involved North
Vietnam and the Viet Cong in conflict with the United States and
South Vietnam. The United States became involved in Vietnam
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because policymakers in the United States believed that if South
Vietnam fell to a communist government, communism would spread
throughout the rest of Southeast Asia.
More than 350,000 California veterans served in the Vietnam War,
40,000 of whom were wounded and 5,822 of whom were missing in
action or killed, representing more than 10% of the nation's
total casualties in that war. In fact, more California residents
gave their lives in the Vietnam War than residents of any other
state, and more Californians were awarded the Medal of Honor,
the Bronze Star, or the Purple Heart than veterans of any other
state.
The California Memorial, dedicated in 1988, is located in the
eastern portion of the State Capitol grounds. It is sited near
the Rose Garden in a quiet, lush setting. Wide, paved paths lead
to the Memorial from the street as well as from the rest of the
Capitol grounds. There is a large grassy area around the
Memorial, with benches scattered around the area.
The Memorial is circular in design, with full relief bronze
sculptures depicting scenes from daily life during the war. The
sculptures represent many sides of the war, with grunts, nurses,
and POWs. The American flag waves over the Memorial. The 5,822
names of California's dead and missing are engraved on
twenty-two black granite panels, arranged by their hometowns.
In a ring arranged around the granite panels, there are stone
benches facing the names. The $2.5 million Memorial was built
entirely through donations.
Prior Legislation
AB 650 (Floyd, Chapter 1042, Statutes of 1983) authorized and
established a process for designing and constructing a Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/9/13)
Vietnam Veterans of America - California State Council
(co-source)
California State Commanders Veterans Council (co-source)
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ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "There are
several reasons why veterans were not included on the original
Memorial at the time it was constructed. Some were inadvertently
left off the original list. But many others died after returning
from service, as a direct result of injuries or illness
resulting from their service in the Vietnam War, including
conditions from Agent Orange exposure which may take a long time
to manifest.
"The intent of the Memorial is to honor and remember
California's Vietnam veterans who died as a result of their
injuries from the war or went missing during the war. The bill
would further that purpose by making the Memorial as complete as
possible so that all California Vietnam veterans are honored and
no one is ever forgotten."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/16/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Garcia,
Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hagman, Hall, Harkey,
Roger Hernández, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue,
Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Mitchell, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Buchanan, Eggman, Beth Gaines, Grove,
Holden, Melendez, Morrell, Stone, Vacancy
AL:nl 8/13/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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