BILL NUMBER: AJR 19	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 25, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Alejo
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Hueso)
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Achadjian,   Atkins,   Baker,  
Bloom,   Bonilla,   Brough,   Brown, 
 Burke,   Calderon,   Campos,  
Chang,   Chau,   Chávez,   Chiu, 
 Chu,   Cooley,   Cooper,   Dababneh,
  Dahle,   Daly,   Dodd,  
Eggman,   Cristina Garcia,   Eduardo Garcia, 
 Gatto,   Gipson,   Gomez,   Gordon,
  Gray,   Grove,   Hadley,  
Roger Hernández,   Holden,   Irwin,  
Jones-Sawyer,   Kim,  Lackey,   Levine,
  Linder,   Lopez,   Low,  
Maienschein,   Mathis,   McCarty,  
Medina,   Mullin,   Nazarian,   O'Donnell,
  Olsen,   Perea,   Quirk,  
Rendon,   Ridley-Thomas,   Rodriguez,  
Salas,   Santiago,   Steinorth,   Mark
Stone,   Thurmond,   Ting,   Wagner, 
 Weber,   Wilk,   Williams,   and
Wood   ) 

                        MAY 27, 2015

   Relative to military service.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 19, as amended, Alejo. Military service.
   This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to enact
legislation allowing immigrants to serve in the military if they are
eligible under the President's Executive Order for Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals or Executive Order for Deferred Action for
Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Since the end of the last United States military draft in
1973, Americans have not been obligated to enlist, and currently
less than one percent of the United States population serves in the
armed forces. During World War II, up to twelve percent of the
population served in the armed forces; and
   WHEREAS, Thousands of immigrants have served and continue serving
in vital military roles, including intelligence, information
operations such as foreign language translators, interpreters, and
cultural experts, making them an essential resource to our national
defense; and
   WHEREAS, The United States Army has recently expanded its Military
Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program to allow
immigrants with certain skills that are in demand to join the Army in
exchange for expedited United States citizenship; and
   WHEREAS, Since 2009, over 14,500 United States military personnel
on active duty serving in our armed forces are immigrants that are
not United States citizens; and
   WHEREAS, Since the September 11th attacks, more than 53,000
immigrants have enlisted in the United States military and have
received wartime military naturalization; and
   WHEREAS, One of the first casualties of the United States
intervention in Iraq was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala,
Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, who was granted American citizenship
posthumously. Subsequently, more than 100 immigrant soldiers have
been granted posthumous citizenship after dying in defense of the
United States during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
   WHEREAS, As of 2008, the highest percentage of foreign-born United
States military personnel was from Latin America and the Caribbean,
with 38.7 percent (23,926) originating from Latin America and 35.9
percent (22,226) from Asia; and
   WHEREAS, Over 5 million immigrants in the United States and over
1.5 million immigrants in California are eligible under the President'
s Executive Order for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program and Executive Order for Deferred Action for Parents of
Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and could, at
the appropriate age, join the military in defense of their nation;
and
   WHEREAS, Currently, an amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow some young immigrants with
DACA status to serve in the military was passed out of the House
Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support; now, therefore, be
it
   Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the
United States to enact legislation allowing immigrants to serve in
the military if they are eligible under the President's Executive
Order for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or Executive Order
for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent
Residents; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, to the Majority
Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and to each
Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the
United States.