BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 469
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 1, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                   SB 469 (Aanestad) - As Amended:  June 15, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              Veterans  
          AffairsVote: 8-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill allows the administrator of the Northern California  
          Veterans Cemetery to waive the $500 burial fee for interment of  
          spouses or children of veterans eligible for burial in that  
          cemetery if the administrator determines that the families of  
          the spouses or children have insufficient means to pay the fee.

          The bill requires that the costs for such burials be paid from  
          nonstate funds, requires the administrator to seek federal or  
          local reimbursements, and authorizes the administrator to  
          solicit private donations to offset lost revenue from the waived  
          fees.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Probably minor fiscal impact as the cemetery administrator would  
          likely waive fees only to the extent that non-state funds or  
          donations were available to offset the lost fee revenue.

           COMMENTS  

           Background and Purpose  .  The Northern California Veterans  
          Cemetery-the only state-owned and -operated veterans cemetery-is  
          located near the community of Igo, about 10 miles south of the  
          City of Redding (Shasta County).  The cemetery opened on  
          Veterans Day 2005.  The initial development, which comprises 16  
          acres and can accommodate 8,500 burial site, includes the  
          administration building, visitor center, committal service  
          shelter, burial grounds, columbarium, an assembly/flag area for  
          special events, and a maintenance area. According to the  
          Department of Veterans Affairs, since the cemetery opened, there  








                                                                  SB 469
                                                                  Page  2

          have been 1,641 interments-1,331 veterans and 310 spouses and  
          dependents.  According to the author, some families have been  
          denied burial in the cemetery because of inability to pay the  
          $500 interment fee.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081