BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1258
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Date of Hearing: August 8, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 1258 (Wolk and Correa) - As Amended: June 28, 2012
Policy Committee: Veterans
AffairsVote: 9-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Department of Veterans Affairs
(CDVA) to develop outcome and related indicators for veterans to
help assess the status of veterans and veteran services and to
improve services. Specifically, this bill:
1)Specifies that indicators include such factors as employment,
compensation, education, involvement in the criminal justice
system and the child welfare system, and suicide incidence.
2)Authorizes CDVA to receive any necessary data, including
quarterly wage data, from other entities, as long as such data
is not restricted by state or federal law.
3)Authorizes CDVA to establish advisory bodies in developing and
reporting on indicators, and states the existing California
Interagency Council on Veterans, which was created in 2011 to
identify and prioritize the needs of veterans by coordinating
activities at all levels of government, may serve as an
advisory body for the purposes of this section.
4)Requires CDVA to report to the Legislature by March 1, 2015 on
indicators developed, as well as on recommendations to
establish a system for monitoring those indicators on an
ongoing basis, including the need for additional staff and
technological enhancements.
5)Requires the Director of the Employment Development Department
(EDD) to release quarterly wage data to the CDVA.
FISCAL EFFECT
SB 1258
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Minor GF costs to CDVA to identify, develop, and report on
outcome and related veteran status and outcome indicators over
the next two years. Assuming the equivalent of one-half of a
mid-range personnel-year for two years, the annual cost would
likely be in the range of $45,000.
Subsequent to the actual requirements of this bill, the
development of an ongoing system to monitor developed indicators
would likely be significant, in the hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The authors' intent is to begin development of a
system to assess the status of veterans and the benefits they
obtain in order to help inform decision-making regarding
veterans' services.
"To enhance understanding of veterans' needs and improve
access to services, SB 1258 would authorize the California
Department of Veterans Affairs to identify key outcomes and
design and develop a strategy for sharing information with
other state agencies that would allow the department to
monitor whether the needs of veterans are being addressed.
That information will inform state efforts to improve access
to services and ensure that California's veterans receive the
support they need and earned through their military service."
2)AB 1258 appears consistent with the charge of the California
Interagency Council on Veterans , which was created in August
2011 by an executive order from Gov. Brown directing the Labor
and Workforce Development Agency, California Volunteers, the
Business Transportation and Housing Agency, the Health and
Human Services Agency, the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation, the Adjutant General of the Military
Department, the Employment Development Department, the
Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of
Rehabilitation, and the Department of Housing and Community
Development to serve on the California Interagency Council on
Veterans. The charge of the Council is to identify and
prioritize the needs of California's veterans, and to
coordinate activities at all levels of government in
addressing those needs.
SB 1258
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The Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs will
coordinate with Federal partners and external stakeholders to
ensure both groups are active participants on the Council.
Additionally, the governor's order requests that the Chief
Justice of California, the President of U.C., the CSU
Chancellor, and the Chancellor of CCC each appoint a member to
the Council.
The executive order, which was based on AB 557 by Speaker John
Perez, directs CDVA to establish the Council, which will be
tasked with identifying and prioritizing the needs of
California's veterans and coordinating the activities at all
levels of government in addressing those needs.
Analysis Prepared by : Geoff Long / APPR. / (916) 319-2081