BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                            



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        SB 354|
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 354
          Author:   Roth (D) and Correa (D), et al.
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE  :  5-0, 4/9/13
          AYES:  Hueso, Knight, Block, Correa, Nielsen
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Lieu, Roth, Vacancy

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  7-0, 5/23/13
          AYES:  De Le�n, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg


           SUBJECT  :    Department of Veterans Affairs:  monitoring outcomes  
          for veterans:  Director of Employment Development: disclosure of  
          information

           SOURCE  :     AMVETS-Department of California 


           DIGEST  :    This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs  
          (DVA) to develop outcome and related indicators for veterans,  
          for the purpose of assessing the status of veterans in  
          California, for monitoring the quality of programs intended to  
          serve those veterans, and to guide decision making on how to  
          improve those services.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1.Establishes DVA and assigns it responsibility for various  
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            programs and services to benefit military veterans.

          2.Provides that specified information obtained in administering  
            the state's employment assistance/unemployment insurance  
            programs is not publicly available and is reserved for the  
            exclusive use and information of the Director of the  
            Employment Development Department (EDD) in the discharge of  
            official duties.

          This bill:

          1.Requires the DVA to develop outcome indicators that will  
            reflect the following issues:  employment and  
            employment-related information such as earnings; incidence of  
            suicide; higher education data; and involvement with the child  
            welfare system and the criminal justice system.

          2.Authorizes the DVA to receive data from other state agencies,  
            but requires the DVA to ensure the confidentiality of that  
            information.  DVA may also establish advisory committees and  
            utilize the existing California Interagency Council on  
            Veterans to assist in the strategy for developing and  
            reporting the outcome indicators.

          3.Requires DVA to report to the Legislature by March 1, 2015 on  
            all the outcome and related indicators it has developed.  The  
            report must also include recommendations on ways to establish  
            the monitoring system including necessary staffing and  
            technology, and regulatory and fiscal barriers that may hinder  
            future development of a monitoring system.

          4.Authorizes EDD to share quarterly wage data with the DVA for  
            purposes of the monitoring system to the extent permitted by  
            federal law.


           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes


          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:


           DVA indicates first year costs of $104,000 and ongoing costs  

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            of $98,000 for a Statistical Methods Analyst III position  
            (General)  


           Minor costs to DVA for reporting requirement (General)


           Unknown additional annual expenses to DVA for maintaining the  
            database once the information is collected (General).

           Potential costs to EDD of $20,000 annually reimbursed by the  
            DVA (General)

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/23/13)

          AMVETS-Department of California (source) 
          California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
          California Senior Legislature
          Vietnam Veterans of America - CA State Council



          AL:nld  5/23/13   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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