California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 38

Introduced by Assembly Member Salas

February 19, 2014

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 38—Relative to military and veterans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AJR 38, as introduced, Salas. Fair employment and housing: military and veteran status.

This measure would request Congress to pass and the President to sign into law Senate Bill 1281 and House Resolution 2654, and encourages the members of the California Congressional Delegation to join as co-authors on those measures.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Fewer than 7 percent of Americans have ever
served in the United States Armed Forces and less than 1 percent
wears the uniform today. Taken as a group, military members and
veterans are in the minority. While other minority groups enjoy
certain protections and advantages under the law, those who have
served and fought for their country currently enjoy no such
comprehensive legal consideration; and

WHEREAS, Frequently those who have served and sacrificed
are at a disadvantage in comparison to their peers and employment
is often the first obstacle that veterans must overcome during their
transition from the military to civilian life; and

WHEREAS, Employment is often the lynchpin that holds
families and lives together; and

WHEREAS, The value and importance of appropriate, living
wage employment cannot be underestimated in the overall
transition from the military to the civilian workforce and the best
approach for dealing with transition issues is a holistic approach,
which takes into account that employment is an integral facet of
a veteran’s overall continuum of well-being. The negative effects
of long-term unemployment are especially devastating to service
members who may also be suffering from additional stressors such
as: repeated deployments, marital discord, domestic violence,
multiple moves, substance abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress
disorder, homelessness, or suicidal thoughts; and

WHEREAS, It is not unusual for veterans transitioning from
military to civilian employment to enter the workforce years behind
their high school or college classmates, and while their
contemporaries have completed college, held internships, entered
the workforce, established expertise in their fields, and built a
professional network of contacts, those who have served, regardless
of experience or rank, are often forced to begin their civilian careers
at or near the bottom of the employment ladder; and

WHEREAS, Even though veterans bring a wealth of valuable
experiences to the workforce, their time in the military may often
not be understood or appreciated by civilian employers.
Misperceptions about veterans greatly contribute to high levels of
veteran unemployment and under-employment; and

WHEREAS, Veterans must also overcome the negative press
about the effects and repercussions of prolonged wars, such as
post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other
mental health issues affecting increasing numbers of returning
veterans, and there is a common perception of veterans as “ticking
time bombs,” “unstable and dangerous,” or “damaged goods”; and

WHEREAS, It is recognized that the practice of denying
employment opportunity and discriminating in the terms of
employment for these reasons foments domestic strife and unrest,
deprives the state of the fullest utilization of its capacities for
development and advancement, and substantially and adversely
affects the interests of employees, employers, and the public in
general; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature deems it important to the state to
protect and safeguard the right and opportunity of all persons to
seek, obtain, and hold employment without discrimination or
abridgment on account of race, religious creed, color, national
origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical
condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender
identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, or military
and veteran status; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature passed Assembly Bill 556 (Chapter
691 of the Statutes of 2013), which added military and veteran
status to the California Fair Employment and Housing Act; and

WHEREAS, The State of California urges the government of
the United States to enact similar protections at the federal level
in acknowledgment of the tremendous sacrifices our veterans have
made for this nation and to ensure that veterans enjoy the same
legally mandated, nondiscriminatory access to housing,
employment, and training opportunities as are afforded to other
deserving individuals; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1281 by Senator Richard Blumenthal
and House Resolution 2654 by Representative Derek Kilmer seek
to accomplish these aims at the federal level; now, therefore, be
it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly,That the Legislature requests Congress of the
United States to pass and the President to sign into law Senate Bill
1281 and House Resolution 2654, and encourages the members
of the California Congressional Delegation to join as co-authors
on those measures; and be it further

Resolved,That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States and to the Members of the United States Congress.