BILL NUMBER: AB 1931	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 16, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 29, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member  Cook   Gorell


                        FEBRUARY 22, 2012

   An act to add Section 90 to the Military and Veterans Code,
relating to veterans.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1931, as amended,  Cook   Gorell  .
Department of Veterans Affairs: consolidation of services to
veterans.
   Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which
is responsible for administering various programs and services for
the benefit of veterans.
   This bill would establish the California Veterans Services and
Workforce Development Division within the Department of Veterans
Affairs for the purpose of coordinating and administering veterans
assistance programs in the state, and would require the division to
perform various functions and duties relating to the coordination and
administration of veterans assistance programs, as specified. The
bill would require the administrative and support staff responsible
for the administration of the specified programs to be transferred
from the Employment Development Department to the division, and would
require the costs of the transfer to utilize existing resources of
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 90 is added to the Military and Veterans Code,
to read:
   90.  (a) The California Veterans Services and Workforce
Development Division is hereby established within the department for
the purpose of coordinating and administering veterans assistance
programs in the state. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall have
authority over the division.
   (b) The division shall do all of the following:
   (1) Coordinate with other state agencies that provide benefits and
assistance to veterans to ensure that information about veterans
assistance programs and benefits is made available to all state
agencies that serve veterans in the state.
   (2) Administer the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and oversee
the duties of Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER) as
prescribed under the federal Jobs for Veterans State Grants program,
in cooperation with the Employment Development Department (EDD). The
division shall work with staff from the EDD to develop a plan whereby
responsibility for the administration of TAP and the LVER shall be
transferred from the EDD to the division. The development of the plan
shall be completed on or before  ____   May 1,
2013  .
   (3) Ensure that other state agencies and officials that are
involved in the implementation and administration of veterans
services programs are informed when any changes in existing programs
are required, or new programs are established that provide assistance
and benefits to veterans, and require that those agencies and
officials report to the division when those changes occur or new
programs are established.
   (4) Coordinate with staff from other state agencies, including,
but not limited to, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the
Employment Training Panel, the California Workforce Investment Board,
the State Department of Mental Health, the Department of General
Services, the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, and
representatives of the University of California, the California State
University, and the California Community Colleges with regard to the
provision of veterans services and benefits.
   (c) (1) In complying with this section, all administrative and
support staff responsible for the administration of TAP and the LVER
shall be transferred from the EDD to the division.
   (2) Any costs associated with the implementation of these
transfers shall utilize existing resources of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, as the operational cost of these programs utilizes
funding from the Jobs for Veterans State Grant program, as prescribed
within the United States Department of Labor.