BILL NUMBER: AJR 20	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 30, 2016
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 11, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 11, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 14, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Kim
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Travis Allen, Brough, Chang,
Achadjian, Alejo, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta,
Brown, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher,
Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gordon, Gray,
Grove, Hadley, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty,
Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, Olsen, Patterson,
Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Steinorth, Thurmond, Ting,
Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood)
   (Coauthors: Senators Bates, Huff, and Mendoza)

                        MAY 28, 2015

   Relative to Veterans Affairs hospitals.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 20, Kim. Veterans Affairs hospitals.
   This measure would request the Congress of the United States to
support and build a central Veterans Affairs Hospital in Orange
County.



   WHEREAS, Many service members returning home to Orange County face
significant barriers to a successful transition back to civilian
life; and
   WHEREAS, Sixty-one percent of post-9/11 Orange County veterans
reported difficulties adjusting to civilian life and needing time to
figure out what to do after service in the military; and
   WHEREAS, About one in five post-9/11 veterans in Orange County
have considered suicide, and one in six developed a suicide plan.
Among those Orange County veterans who considered or made a plan to
commit suicide, about one-half did not seek help; and
   WHEREAS, Orange County veterans have reported barriers, including
not knowing where to access services, difficulty scheduling
appointments, and concerns about confidentiality and treatment; and
   WHEREAS, Twenty-five percent of post-9/11 veterans and 9 percent
of pre-9/11 veterans indicated severe physical health symptoms. In
addition, post-9/11 veterans were more likely to screen positive for
post-traumatic stress disorder and depression than pre-9/11 veterans;
and
   WHEREAS, One-half of all Orange County post-9/11 veterans reported
their greatest needs as Veterans Affairs service assistance and
health care assistance; and
   WHEREAS, Only 24 percent of Orange County veterans reported that
they could handle the challenges on their own, and their needs are
not being met; and
   WHEREAS, A considerable number of Orange County veterans are not
receiving care for physical and psychological issues, and have a high
rate of mental health concerns; 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 support and build a central Veterans Affairs
Hospital in Orange County for the mental health care needs of local
veterans; 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, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, each Senator and
Representative from California in the Congress of the United States,
and to the author for appropriate distribution.