BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2561
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Date of Hearing: March 29, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Jacqui Irwin, Chair
AB 2561
(Committee on Veterans Affairs) - As Introduced February 19,
2016
SUBJECT: Veterans' cemeteries
SUMMARY: This bill would establish the California Central Coast
Veterans Cemetery Project Donation Fund (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.
EXISTING LAW: Existing law, Military and Veteran Code sections
1450 - 1457:
1)Provides for the design, development, and construction of a
state-owned and state-operated veterans' cemetery at the site
of the former Fort Ord.
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2)Establishes the California Central Coast State Veterans
Cemetery (CCCSVC) at Fort Ord Endowment Fund, which is
available upon appropriation by the Legislature for design,
construction, and maintenance costs of the cemetery.
3)Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept
donations to be used for the maintenance or beautification of
the veterans' cemetery.
4)Requires that those donations be deposited in the endowment
fund.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown at this time. Bill contains a
continuous appropriation.
COMMENTS: This bill would conform the code structure for the
CCCSVC more closely to that of the Northern California and
Southern California state cemeteries which each have distinct
donations funds. The endowment fund for the CCCSVC had the
primary purpose of containing an endowment which was
contemplated to be received from private sources in order to
help get the CCCSVC started and to defray the costs of the
initial work. This bill creates a separate fund, apart from the
endowment fund, for the purpose of clearly segregating and
protecting funds received from donors for maintenance and
beatification projects.
Continuous appropriation from the donations fund is called for
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in the bill. Though the continuous appropriation issue is not a
policy decision for this committee per se, it is the
understanding of staff from discussions with CalVet program
staff that the donations received most typically are for
projects such as beautification enhancements from the basic
design like benches, monuments, memorials, and other relatively
modest cost elements. Moreover, CalVet must preserve the
donors' intent so it does not have unfettered discretion to
spend the money from the donations fund.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on File
Opposition
AB 2561
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None on File
Analysis Prepared by:John Spangler / V.A. / (916) 319-3550