BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 935
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 935 (Frazier)
As Amended August 21, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: | |(May 9, 2013) |SENATE: |32-0 |(August 25, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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(vote not relevant)
Original Committee Reference: L.GOV.
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to
offer a driver's license (DL) or identification card (ID)
printed with the word "VETERAN" indicating the licensee or
possessor of a DL or ID is a military veteran.
The Senate amendments delete the Assembly version of this bill
and instead:
1)Commencing November 11, 2015, allow an applicant applying for
a DL or ID in person at a DMV field office to request the word
"VETERAN" to be printed on the face of a DL or ID.
2)Require the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a
verification form in consultation with DMV and the California
Association of County Veterans Service Officers.
3)Require a county veterans service office (CVSO) to verify a
person's veteran status and sign the verification form
confirming the person's status as a veteran.
4)Require DMV to accept the signed verification form by a CVSO
as proof of an applicant's veteran status.
5)Upon payment of a fee and verification of an applicant's
veteran status, require DMV to print the word "VETERAN" on the
face of a DL or ID, as specified.
6)Provide that DMV may charge a one-time fee of $5 to cover the
cost associated with processing and issuing a DL or ID with a
veterans designation; further provide DMV the authority to
increase the fee to not more that $15 to cover the cost
associated with the provisions specified in this bill.
AB 935
Page 2
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee,
1)Estimated DMV implementation costs of $1.05 million in 2014-15
and 2015-16, and ongoing costs of $775,392 in 2016-17, and
$768,072 in 2017-18 (Motor Vehicle Account).
2)DMV estimates revenue increases of up to $2.2 million
annually, beginning in 2015-16, assuming approximately 150,000
veterans apply for the veteran designation in their normal
renewal cycle, and 47,000 veterans apply for a duplicate
license outside the normal cycle of renewal (Motor Vehicle
Account). Revenues are expected to taper after several years.
3)Minor costs to the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop
the form that provides for verification of veterans status
(General Fund).
4)Unknown CVSO costs, beginning in 2015-16, to verify veteran
status for an estimated 200,000 veterans annually for several
years. CVSOs receive an annual General Fund allocation of
$2.6 million.
COMMENTS : Veterans groups point out that as large numbers of
service members return from overseas deployments, they desire an
efficient means of proving their eligibility for benefits and
discounts (such as those available from Home Depot or Jiffy
Lube). When they are still in the military, they use their
military ID cards. Upon leaving the service they are issued a
paper discharge DD-214, containing a substantial amount of
personal information and intended for a person's private files
and therefore, not suitable for carrying around at all times.
Moreover, federal, state, and local governments offer varying
degrees of benefits and services for veterans. In the past, the
DD-214 sufficed for veterans' relatively infrequent experiences
with the federal Veterans Affairs system. However, over the
last decade, numerous private, non-profit service providers have
begun to offer a variety of services for veterans including:
housing, mental health, drug counseling, and financial,
educational, and occupational assistance. According to a San
Diego Union Tribune article, "California veterans may be losing
out on $400 million in federal benefits."
AB 935
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This bill will provide an easy way for veterans to identify
themselves and potentially gain more timely access to these
services. Additionally, the author further points out that
having the veteran's designation would "be helpful to medical
and law enforcement agencies. This designation would ensure
that these entities are informed and therefore better equipped
to handle medical and law enforcement situations - for example,
a situation involving a veteran with some sort of trauma, such
as posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of their service."
In consideration of these potential advantages, 40 states
currently offer veterans designation on DL's with several
additional states considering pending legislation.
This bill was substantially amended in the Senate and the
Assembly-approved version of this bill was deleted. The
provisions in this bill are nearly identical to the provisions
included in AB 531 (Frazier) of 2013, and AB 1637 (Frazier) of
the current legislative session, which were both heard and
passed out of the Assembly Transportation Committee but were
held on the suspense file in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0005337