BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 361|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 361
Author: Runner (R)
Amended: 5/6/09
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/14/09
AYES: Denham, Correa, Wiggins, Negrete McLeod, Cedillo,
Wyland, Maldonado
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/29/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado,
Padilla, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Public postsecondary education: priority
registration: Armed
Forces and State Militia Reserve Service
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill makes changes to existing law giving
veterans priority registration at a California State
University or California Community Colleges, by limiting
priority admission to honorably discharged veterans only.
Adds the California National to the definition of Armed
Forces.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires the California State
University (CSU) and each community college district, and
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requests the University of California (UC), with respect to
each campus in their respective jurisdictions that
administers a priority enrollment system, to grant priority
for registration for enrollment to any member or former
member of the Armed forces of the United States for any
academic term attended at one of these institutions within
two years of leaving active duty.
In the 2007-08 Session, SB 272 (Runner), Chapter 356,
Statutes of 2007, allowed veterans to be given priority
registration if they were within two years of discharge
from military service.
Veterans' benefits are given to honorably discharged
veterans.
Historically, veterans' benefits are offered only to those
veterans who have received honorable discharges or, at
least, to veterans who have an other than dishonorable
discharge.
Those who have received dishonorable discharges are not
considered to have held up their end of their enlistment
contract and, therefore, are not eligible to receive
benefits. This bill brings this state benefit into line
with standards set at the federal level.
Other than clean-up language, this bill also adds the
California National Guard and Naval Militia to the
definition of "armed Forces of the United States" for
purposes of this bill.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/19/09)
American Legion, Department of California
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
TSM:cm 5/19/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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