BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1520|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1520
Author: Kehoe (D), et al
Amended: 7/19/04 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 4-3, 6/22/04
AYES: Chesbro, Ducheny, Dunn, Soto
NOES: Morrow, Denham, Margett
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-4, 8/9/04
AYES: Alpert, Bowen, Burton, Escutia, Karnette, Machado,
Speier
NOES: Battin, Aanestad, Ashburn, Poochigian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Johnson, Murray
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 47-31, 1/29/04 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Veterans Memorials Commission
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill creates the California Veterans
Memorials Commission, and authorizes the design,
construction and dedication of specified memorials. The
bill provides that all funding for the memorial, and for
the operation and support of the commission, will be from
private contributions.
ANALYSIS :
Existing Law
CONTINUED
AB 1520
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1.Establishes the California Mexican American Veterans'
Memorial Beautification and Enhancement Commission, and
provides for its composition and duties.
2.Authorizes the beautification and enhancement of an
existing memorial on state grounds and authorizes the
Commission to establish a schedule for its design,
construction, and dedication, to solicit designs and
develop a process for the selection of a final design,
and to monitor construction.
This bill:
1.Creates the California Veterans' Memorials Commission
(CVMC) and provides for its composition and duties. It
authorizes the design, construction and dedication of
memorials approved by the CVMC at unspecified sites and
authorizes the CVMC to review, consider, and respond to
requests for a memorial, hold public hearings, and
approve the appropriateness of a site for a memorial for
any group of veterans.
2.Authorizes the CVMC to establish a schedule for the
design, construction and dedication for an approved
memorial, and prepare a process for the selection of a
final design and monitor construction.
3.Requires the funding for a veteran's memorial and for the
operation and support of the CVMC be from private
contributions.
4.Creates the California Veterans' Memorial Fund in the
State Treasury, into which all funds received for this
purpose will be deposited and allows the CVMC to expend
thee funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for
purposes set forth in this bill.
5.Provides that members of the CVMC may be reimbursed for
the cost of traveling to and from commission meetings.
6.Requires the CVNC to consult with, and obtain final
approval from, the State Department of General Services,
if the memorial is to be on state grounds.
AB 1520
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7.Requires the CVMC to notify the Governor and the
Legislature whenever the design, construction, and
dedication of a veterans memorial has been completed.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/10/04)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees, AFL-CIO
Catholic War Veterans of United States, Coachella Valley
Chapter
City of West Hollywood
Equality California
Go for Broke Educational Foundation
Jewish War Veterans of the United States, Post 185, San
Diego
Sacramento Valley Veterans, Sacramento
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/10/04)
California State Commanders Veterans Council
State Department of Finance
The American Legion, Department of California
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Department
of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office states that
many veterans' groups worthy of a state-sanctioned memorial
have not received appropriate recognition. These veterans
are from specific conflicts and wars and are members of
specific groups. All such veterans have unique experiences
that make their service worthy of this state's recognition
and gratitude, according to the author.
According to the author's office, this bill creates a
process by which the state can appropriately honor various
groups of veterans. This process would allow for these
veteran to be consistently and appropriately honored by way
of the California Veterans' Memorials Commission, the
author's office indicates.
AB 1520
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ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : According to the California
State Commanders Veterans Council, "Such a commission as is
being proposed is entirely unnecessary. There is no need,
certainly at this time, for such a major effort to develop
some unknown number of state memorials. We have beautiful
memorials right in the Capitol Park in Sacramento. Our
efforts should be directed to the necessary care and
maintenance of these memorials which the veterans community
of the state worked so hard to develop. If there are
communities and organizations in the state that would like
to have additional memorials, this can certainly be done
without the need for a major state commission."
The State Department of Finance opposes this bill since it
creates another commission at a time when the Governor is
proposing the review and possible elimination of
unnecessary boards, commissions, and other state entities.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Berg, Bermudez, Calderon, Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez,
Chu, Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Diaz, Dutra, Dymally,
Firebaugh, Frommer, Goldberg, Hancock, Jerome Horton,
Jackson, Kehoe, Koretz, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber, Liu,
Longville, Lowenthal, Matthews, Montanez, Mullin, Nakano,
Nation, Negrete McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Parra, Pavley,
Reyes, Ridley-Thomas, Salinas, Simitian, Steinberg,
Vargas, Wiggins, Wolk, Yee
NOES: Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Bogh, Campbell, Cogdill,
Cox, Daucher, Dutton, Garcia, Harman, Haynes, Shirley
Horton, Houston, Keene, La Malfa, La Suer, Leslie,
Maldonado, Maze, McCarthy, Mountjoy, Nakanishi, Pacheco,
Plescia, Richman, Runner, Samuelian, Spitzer, Strickland,
Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Maddox, Wesson
TSM:cm 8/10/04 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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