SB 543, as introduced, Wolk. Veterans: Veterans’ Home of California.
Existing law provides for the establishment and operation of the Veterans’ Home of California at various sites, including homes in Barstow, Chula Vista, Lancaster, Ventura, and Yountville, and provides for an administrator for each home or homesite. Existing law defines “home” and “administrator” for these purposes. Existing law establishes the Veteran’s Home Fund in the State Treasury, which includes the proceeds of certain bonds. Existing law requires, upon appropriation of the Legislature, the Department of Veterans Affairs to use money in the fund for the purpose of designing and constructing veterans’ homes in California.
This bill would clarify that veterans’ homes include the Veterans’ Homes of California located in Chula Vista, Fresno, Lancaster, Redding, Ventura, and West Los Angeles.
Existing law requires the administrator of a veterans’ home to maintain a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, which is required to be used, at the discretion of the administrator and subject to the approval of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to provide for the general welfare of the veterans. Existing law specifies the moneys required to be deposited into the fund, and requires the administrator to prepare an itemized report for the expenditures made out of, and deposits made into, the fund. Under existing law, those reports are required to be submitted to the secretary, the fiscal committees of the Assembly and Senate, the committees of the Assembly and the Senate that have subject matter jurisdiction over veterans affairs, and the Veterans’ Home Allied Council on or before August 20 of each year.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to create a statewide Veterans’ Home Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, and to authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to promulgate rules and regulations related to that fund through a stakeholder process that includes residents of the Veterans’ Homes of California. The bill would state the Legislature’s intent that those rules and regulations include, but not be limited to, a yearly budgeting process for moneys to be expended in each home. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the provisions described above relating to Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Funds.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
It is the intent of the Legislature to enact
2legislation that accomplishes both of the following:
3(a) Creates a statewide Veterans’ Home Morale, Welfare, and
4Recreation Fund.
5(b) Authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to promulgate
6rules and regulations related to the statewide Veterans’ Home
7Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund through a stakeholder
8process that includes residents of the Veterans’ Homes of
9California. It is further the intent of the Legislature that these rules
10and regulations include, but not be limited to, a yearly budgeting
11process for moneys to be expended in each home.
Section 1010 of the Military and Veterans Code is
13amended to read:
As used in this chapter:
15(a) “Home” means the Veterans’ Home of California,
16begin delete Yountville, and the Veterans’ Home of California, Barstow.end delete
17begin insert Barstow, the Veterans’ Home of California, Chula Vista, the
18Veterans’ Home of California, Fresno, the Veterans’ Home of
19California, Lancaster, the Veterans’ Home of California, Redding,
20the Veterans’ Home of California, Ventura, the Veterans’ Home
P3 1of California, West Los Angeles, and the Veterans’ Home of
2California, Yountville.end insert
3(b) “Administrator” means the
Administrator of the Veterans’
4Home of Californiabegin delete, Yountville, and the Administrator of each site begin insert
Barstow,
5of the southern California Veterans’ Home, including, but not
6limited to, the Veterans’ Home of California, Barstow.end delete
7the Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California, Chula
8Vista, theend insertbegin insert Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California,
9Fresno, theend insertbegin insert Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California,
10Lancaster, theend insertbegin insert Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California,
11Redding, theend insertbegin insert Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California,
12Ventura, theend insertbegin insert Administrator of the Veterans’ Home of California,
13West Los Angeles, and theend insertbegin insert
Administrator of the Veterans’ Home
14of California, Yountville.end insert
15(c) “Department” means the Department of Veterans Affairs.
16(d) “Director” means the Director of Veterans Affairs.
17(e) “Veteran” means a member of the home.
Section 1047 of the Military and Veterans Code is
19amended to read:
(a) The administratorbegin insert at each homeend insert shall maintain a
21Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund that shall be used, at the
22discretion of the administrator and subject to the approval of the
23secretary, to provide for the general welfare of the veterans,
24including, but not limited to, providing for operations of the
25Veterans’ Home Exchange, hobby shop, motion picture theater,
26library, band, and any other function that is operated for the morale,
27welfare, and recreation of the veterans, and to pay for newspapers,
28chapel expenses, welfare and entertainment expenses, sport
29activities, celebrations, and any other activity that is for the morale,
30welfare, and recreation of the veterans.
31(b) Money in the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund may
32not be expended for any of the following:
33(1) Medical treatments or any other related treatment.
34(2) Maintenance of the physical plant of the home.
35(3) Any function, operation, or activity that is not directly related
36to the morale, welfare, or recreation of the veterans.
37(c) Appropriations from the General Fund for the purposes
38described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) may not be reduced
39for the purpose of, or to have the effect of, requiring increased
P4 1expenditures from the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund for
2those described purposes.
3(d) The administrator shall prepare an itemized report that is
4organized by
category and accounts for all expenditures made from
5the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund during the previous
6fiscal year and shall submit the report on or before August 20 of
7each year to all of the following:
8(1) The secretary.
9(2) The fiscal committees of the Assembly and the Senate.
10(3) The committees of the Assembly and the Senate that have
11subject matter jurisdiction over veterans’ affairs.
12(4) The Veterans’ Home Allied Council.
13(e) The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund for the Veterans’
14Home of California, Yountville, shall maintain a reserve in the
15amount of two million dollars ($2,000,000). The reserve shall be
16invested in securities, upon the advice of the Morale, Welfare,
and
17Recreation Fund Advisory Committee and with the approval of
18the administrator and the secretary.
19(f) The administrator may enter into an agreement with an allied
20council that authorizes that council to operate facilities and
21activities authorized pursuant to this section. The agreement shall
22be in the form and manner as specified by the administrator.
Section 1048 of the Military and Veterans Code is
24amended to read:
(a) The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund shall
26include proceeds from the California Veterans Homes Fund,
27operations of the Veterans’ Home Exchange, revenue derived from
28the issuance of prisoner-of-war special license plates pursuant to
29Section 5101.5 of the Vehicle Code, all funds derived from golf
30course green fees and range ball fees, all donations to the fund,
31interest earned on invested funds, funds derived from the estates
32of deceased members, and any other moneys or property described
33in this chapter, including, but not limited to, moneys and properties
34received by the home from estate assets located outside the home,
35regardless of amount.
36(b) The administratorbegin insert at each homeend insert
shall prepare an itemized
37report that is organized by category and accounts for all funds
38deposited into the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund and
39transmitted to the Controller under Section 1047 during the
P5 1previous fiscal year and shall submit the report on or before August
220 of each year to all of the following:
3(1) The secretary.
4(2) The fiscal committees of the Assembly and the Senate.
5(3) The committees of the Assembly and the Senate that have
6subject matter jurisdiction over veterans affairs.
7(4) The Veterans’ Home Allied Council.
Section 1049 of the Military and Veterans Code is
9amended to read:
Moneys in the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund
11maintained under subdivision (a) of Section 1047 may be used to
12establish or operate a Veterans’ Home Exchange that may conduct
13any lawful endeavor which, in the judgment of the administrator,
14will benefit the veterans, except as prohibited under subdivision
15(b) of Section 1047. The administratorbegin insert at each homeend insert may establish
16the Veterans’ Home Exchange to operate at a profit.
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