California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2561

Introduced by Committee on Veterans Affairs

February 19, 2016

An act to amend Section 1457 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to military and veterans, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2561, as introduced, Committee on Veterans Affairs. Veterans’ cemeteries.

Existing law provides for the design, development, and construction of a state-owned and state-operated veterans’ cemetery at the site of the former Fort Ord. Existing law establishes the California Central Coast State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Ord Endowment Fund, which is available upon appropriation by the Legislature for design, construction, and maintenance costs of the cemetery. Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept donations to be used for the maintenance or beautification of the veterans’ cemetery. Existing law further requires that those donations be deposited in the endowment fund.

This bill would establish the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Project Donation Fund, and would require that donations for the cemetery be deposited in the fund, and be expended for the maintenance and repair of the cemetery or for a specified veterans cemetery maintenance or beautification project. This bill would continuously appropriate the fund to the department for these purposes.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 1457 of the Military and Veterans Code
is amended to read:

1457.  

(a) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government
Code, the veterans cemetery administrator may, subject to the
approval of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, accept donations of
personal property, including cash or other gifts, to be used for the
maintenance or beautification of the veterans cemetery.

(b) Donations in the form of cash shall be deposited in the
begin delete Endowment Fund end delete begin insert California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery
Project Donation Fund, which is hereby created in the State
Treasury, end insert and shall be expended for the maintenance and repair
of the veterans cemetery or for a specified veterans cemetery
maintenance or beautification project designated by the begin delete donor,
upon appropriation by the Legislature. end delete begin insert donor. end insert

begin insert

(c) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code,
donations deposited to the credit of the California Central Coast
Veterans Cemetery Project Donation Fund as authorized by this
section shall be continuously appropriated to the department,
without regard to fiscal year.

end insert