BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AJR 7
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR
7 (Mathis)
As Amended May 14, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Veterans |9-0 |Irwin, Mathis, | |
|Affairs | |Alejo, Brough, | |
| | |Brown, Chávez, | |
| | |Daly, Frazier, | |
| | |Salas | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requests the Congress of the United States of America to
further amend the GI Bill of Rights to make benefits available to
veterans for use as startup capital in the establishment of first
businesses.
EXISTING LAW: The Congress of the United States passed, and
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed, the GI Bill of Rights in
1944 to support our veterans of World War II in their transition
back to civilian life. In 2008, the Congress of the United States
added significant new benefits for those who enlisted to serve the
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nation in the wake of the attacks on the United States on
September 11, 2001.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This measure is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS:
According to the author:
California is currently home to more than 1,800,000
veterans of our Armed Forces. Men and women of the State
of California volunteer to serve in the Armed Forces of
the United States in greater numbers than those from any
other state. California veterans have been grateful
recipients of the financial support of their fellow
Americans through the Veterans Administration and the GI
Bill.
Up to 10 percent of veterans choose to start, run, and
own their own businesses.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill is an extremely generous benefit;
tuition is funded, there is an annual book allowance, and a
housing stipend (in Sacramento approximately $1,700.00 a
month).
A student attending the University of California, Davis will
average approximately $34,000 per year for, assuming only
four years of school, a total approximate cost of $136,000.
A GI Bill student at the same school and on the same
matriculation schedule would have paid zero dollars or a very
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minimal amount.
However, some servicemembers may elect to begin working right
away, learning on the job, or starting their own businesses.
Absent education in business or in the subject matter area of
their business endeavor, such servicemembers who may choose
not to go to school are not given the same generous support;
there is no GI Bill for entrepreneurs.
The idea of an entrepreneurship track parallel to and/or
complementary to traditional GI Bill academics is still a
concept at this point, urging Congress to recognize that
there are many paths to success and not all of them require
extended periods of academic instruction. Any such programs
would need, as the GI Bill has now, safeguards and
appropriate regulations.
Analysis Prepared by:
John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550 FN: 0000407