BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 469|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 469
Author: Aanestad (R), et al
Amended: 6/15/09
Vote: 21
SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/14/09
AYES: Denham, Correa, Wiggins, Negrete McLeod, Cedillo,
Wyland, Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 36-0 (Consent), 5/11/09
AYES: Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Benoit, Cogdill,
Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham, DeSaulnier, Ducheny,
Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff,
Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Negrete McLeod,
Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley, Romero, Runner, Steinberg,
Strickland, Walters, Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Calderon, Cedillo, Simitian, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0 (Consent), 7/9/09 - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Veteranscemeteries: fees
SOURCE : Department of Veterans Affairs
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the fee for the interment
of the spouses and children of honorably discharged
veterans in state-owned and operated cemeteries to be
CONTINUED
SB 469
Page
2
waived if the cemetery administrator determines that the
families of the spouses or children do not have sufficient
means to pay for the costs of interment.
Assembly Amendments made technical corrections and added
co-authors.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides for the establishment
and operation of certain state-owned and operated
veterans'cemeteries. Existing law authorizes honorably
discharged veterans and their spouses and children to be
interred at these cemeteries, and provides for a fee to be
charged for each spouse or child interred at the cemetery,
as specified.
This bill:
1.Auhorizes the fee for the interment of the spouses or
children of eligible veterans in a cemetery operated by
the State of California may be waived if the cemetery
administrator determines that the families of the spouses
or children do not have sufficient means to pay for the
costs of interment.
2.Requires any costs for the interment of the spouses or
children of eligible veterans who received a waiver shall
be paid from non-state funds.
3.Requires the cemetery administrator to seek
reimbursements, if any are available, from federal,
county, and other local agencies to offset any fees lost
as a result of the waiver.
4.Authorizes the cemetery administrator to solicit private
donations to offset any fees lost as a result of the
waiver.
Comments
On Veterans' Day 2005, California opened the Northern
California Veterans Cemetery - the only state-owned and
-operated veterans cemetery near the City of Redding in
Shasta County. The initial development, which comprises 16
acres and can accommodate 8,500 burial sites, includes the
SB 469
Page
3
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 have been 1,641 interments - 1,331 veterans
and 310 spouses and dependents. According to the author's
office, some families have been denied burial in the
cemetery because of inability to pay the $500 interment
fee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/9/09)
Department of Veterans Affairs (source)
American Legion, Department of California
AMVETS, Department of California
Department of Finance
Missing in America Veterans Recovery Project
Shasta County Veterans Affiliated Council
Sons of the American Legion
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Carter, Chesbro, Conway,
Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes,
Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gilmore,
Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber,
Huffman, Jeffries, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen,
John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin,
Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Charles Calderon, Duvall, Jones,
Krekorian, Nava, Vacancy
TSM:cm 7/10/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SB 469
Page
4
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****