BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 585 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 585 (Fox) As Amended August 6, 2014 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |72-1 |(January 27, |SENATE: |35-0 |(August 20, | | | |2014) | | |2014) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: H. & C.D. SUMMARY : Requires the department, by July 1, 2016, to create a prioritized list of unused or underutilized nonresidential real property owned by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (department) and to propose one or more potential uses that will benefit California veterans, as specified, and to make a preferred recommendation for use of the property as specified. The Senate amendments are mostly technical and in the nature of clarification and they: 1)Delete the requirement that a master plan be developed and instead substitute the creation of a list with the same considerations as were in the version of this bill considered by the Assembly. 2)Include a declaration of legislative intent that after a use option for a given location is identified, further study and evaluation may be necessary in order to fully determine the feasibility of that use option and take steps toward its implementation. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, minor costs to the Department of Veterans Affairs (General Fund). COMMENTS : According to the author, AB 585 seeks to ensure that veteran land owned by the state become centers of veteran activity and support services. AB 585 requires the California Department of Veteran Affairs, or CalVet, to identify unused or underutilized land owned by the state department and to develop prioritized proposals for potential uses of this AB 585 Page 2 land in ways that benefit California veterans. Currently, CalVet operates 8 veteran homes that provide residential care and support for veterans across the state. Some of these homes, including but not limited to Yountville, Lancaster and Ventura, have excess real property around their locations with the potential for further development. AB 585 will ensure that these underutilized lands are developed as a system of homes to become centers of veteran activity and support services. AB 585 directs CalVet to take inventory of their assets and plan how to best utilize all their real property to better serve California veterans. The Senate amendments address some of the concerns raised about the bill in its use of the term, "master plan" by deleting that term and substituting the term "list" in its place. The statement of legislative intent also clarifies that what is contemplated by the measure is not a fully detailed master plan but a list of possible preferred use options which will then be subject to further study and evaluation in order to fully determine the feasibility of use options. Analysis Prepared by : John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550 FN: 0005134