MILITARY AND VETERANS

• AB 298, Mathis. Honoring Our Blind Veterans Act. This bill authorizes a nonprofit organization that represents blind veterans to plan, construct, and maintain a Braille American flag to serve as a monument to the blind veterans of California and the United States in the California State Capitol Building, as specified. An act to add Section 14635.5 to the Government Code, relating to the State Capitol.

• AB 322, Mathis. Veteran and California National Guard Supplemental Orientation Act of 2023. This bill requires that each California State University (CSU) and California Community College (CCC) campus and requests that each University of California (UC) include in transfer and first-year student orientation specified information for students who are veterans and their dependents. An act to add Chapter 4.3 (commencing with Section 66225) to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

• AB 988, Mathis. Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act: veteran and military data reporting. This bill would require an entity receiving funds from the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund ("988 fund") to report on the number of individuals served who identified as veterans or active military personnel. An act to amend Section 53123.4 of the Government Code, relating to mental health.

• AB 1350, Soria. Veterans: memorials. This bill creates the Capitol Park Veterans Memorial Fund, to be continuously appropriated to and administered by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), for the purpose of maintaining and rehabilitating existing memorials in the State Capitol to veterans of the United States Armed Forces. An act to repeal and add Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1300) of Division 6 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans, and making an appropriation therefor.

• AB 1386, Gabriel. Veterans housing: tenant referrals. Authorizes entities referring veterans to deeply affordable housing units funded by the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program (VHHP) or tax credits and private activity bonds to refer veterans at higher income levels if units are unable to be filled at a lower income threshold for specified time periods. An act to amend Sections 987.003 and 987.005 of, and to add Article 3.3 (commencing with Section 987.300) to Chapter 6 of Division 4 of, the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans.

• AB 1452, Mathis. State Capitol: Iraq Afghanistan Kuwait Veterans Memorial monument. This bill authorizes a nonprofit organization representing veterans of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait, and in consultation with the Department of General Services (DGS), to plan, construct, and maintain a monument to those veterans of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait on the grounds of the State Capitol, as specified. An act to add Section 14636 to the Government Code, relating to the State Capitol.

• AB 1462, Jim Patterson. Veteran overdose deaths. Requires the California Department of Public Health (DPH) to access existing data within the electronic death registration system to compile a report on veteran drug overdose deaths in California and to report specified data. An act to add Section 102792 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to veterans.

• AB 1566, Soria. Department of Veterans Affairs: veterans' services. This bill requires the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet)'s annual report to include the composition of staff at the county office, as specified, and the annual funding of the county veterans service office by the county, as specified. This bill authorizes CalVet to require county veterans service officers (CVSOs) to apply uniform measurement of workload units, claims, and other information. An act to amend Sections 972.1 and 974 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans.

• SB 228, Roth. Civilian youth opportunities program. This bill, subject to an appropriation and existing law requirements, adds western Riverside County to the list of regions where the Adjutant General of the California Military Department (CMD) must establish a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe academy, an alternative high school for at-risk teens. An act to amend Section 532 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to military.