BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2664
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Sharon Quirk-Silva, Chair
AB 2664 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended: April 1, 2014
SUBJECT : California National Guard
SUMMARY : Establishes a California National Guard Military
Family Relief Fund (the New Fund) within the existing California
Military Department Support Fund, and transfers money from the
California Military Family Relief Fund (the Old Fund) to the New
Fund. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires that the California Military Department Support Fund
shall include the New Fund a special fund as established
within the California Military Department Support Fund.
2)Specifies that for accounting and recordkeeping purposes, the
California Military Department Support Fund shall be deemed to
be a single special fund, and any special funds therein shall
constitute and be deemed to be a separate account in the
California Military Department Support Fund.
3)Mandates that each account or fund shall be available for
expenditure only for the purposes as are now or may hereafter
be provided by law.
4)Establishes the New Fund as an account within the California
Military Department Support Fund for the purpose of providing
financial aid grants to members of the California National
Guard who are California residents and who have been called to
active duty.
5)Requires the Military Department to establish eligibility
criteria for the grants by January 1, 2015.
6)Directs that the grant criteria shall include, but not be
limited to, a demonstration of financial need.
7)Requires that in addition to grant criteria established by the
Military Department members of the California National Guard
must show proof of all of the following to be eligible to
receive a grant:
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a) Current membership in the California National Guard.
b) Residency in California.
c) Deployment to active duty for at least 60 consecutive
days.
8)Mandates that grants awarded may be used only for food,
housing, childcare, utilities, medical services, medical
prescriptions, insurance, and vehicle payments.
9)Directs that California National Guard members shall not be
eligible to receive a grant if the member receives a punitive
discharge or an administrative discharge with service
characterized as under other than honorable conditions.
10)Requires the Adjutant General to conduct annual audits of the
California Military Department Support Fund and the New Fund
and to report findings to the Department of Finance.
11)Transfers on January 1, 2015, any and all moneys remaining in
the Old Fund to the New Fund.
12)Directs that the moneys transferred shall continue to be
disbursed in accordance with the original intent of the
contributions made by taxpayers to the Old Fund.
EXISTING LAW : Authorizes the Adjutant General and the Military
Department to solicit and accept funds or other donations for
deposit in the Old Fund. Money in the Old Fund is available,
upon appropriation, for specified purposes relating to the
programs of the department.
Former law, repealed by its own provisions, allowed taxpayers to
designate on their tax returns that a specified amount in excess
of their tax liability be transferred to the California Military
Family Relief Fund, established to accept contributions from
taxpayers and from other sources. Money in that fund, upon
appropriation, was required to be allocated to the Military
Department to provide financial aid grants to eligible members
of the California National Guard. The former law provided that,
notwithstanding repeal, any contribution amounts designated
prior to repeal would continue to be transferred and disbursed
in accordance with those repealed provisions.
The State Treasury's Special Fund 8022, containing approximately
$1.2 million in donations to the Old Fund, will be abolished in
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January 2015 and the monies will revert to the General Fund.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown at this time.
COMMENTS : Rather than revert to the General Fund, this bill
extends the time for disbursement of relief funds to National
Guard families in crisis arising out of active duty service.
Though deployments are generally decreasing, National Guard
members are still called to active duty for overseas deployment
and for other purposes. Unfortunately these periods of active
duty too often result in a net income loss to the Guard member's
family. In short, there is still a need for the money in the
Old Fund. Finally, the continued availability of this relief
money, with the eligibility criteria specified, is in accord
with the donors' intent, as opposed to reversion of the funds to
the General Fund.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None.
Opposition
None.
Analysis Prepared by : John Spangler/ V. A. / (916) 319-3550