Bill Text: CA SB1291 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 1291

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Veterans: memorial districts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-29 - May 1 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. [SB1291 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB1291-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate March 20, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1291

Introduced by Senator Grove

February 15, 2024

An act to amend Section ~~1221~~ 1200 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1291, as amended, Grove. Veterans: memorial districts.

Existing law allows memorial districts to be established and maintained for the purposes of providing and maintaining memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings, or meeting places, together with suitable indoor and outdoor park and recreation facilities, primarily for the use of veterans and veterans’ organizations. To this end, existing law allows a memorial district to levy special taxes and to incur bonded indebtedness. Existing law requires the secretary of a memorial district to annually prepare a financial report of all the district’s assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, and obligations. Existing law requires the county auditor to draw warrants against the memorial district fund and against the memorial district bond fund in payment of the district’s law claims. Existing law allows the county treasurer to pay moneys out of the district’s several funds only upon warrants drawn by the county auditor.
This bill would, notwithstanding existing law, require the county treasurer to pay moneys out of the several funds of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District in the County of Fresno upon request of the board of the memorial district.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Clovis Veterans Memorial District in the County of Fresno.
Existing law provides for the formation of veterans memorial districts and provides for their powers and functions in constructing, acquiring, and operating halls, buildings, meeting places, and other facilities for the use of veterans and veterans’ organizations and by persons and organizations other than veterans when their use does not interfere with the use of the facilities by veterans. Existing law prohibits a district from entering in to a contract for the construction or alteration of any hall, building, or meeting place until professional estimates of the cost of that construction or alteration have been submitted to, considered, and approved by a majority of the board at an official meeting.
~~This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.~~

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 1200 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:

1200.

(a) The moneys in the several funds of the district shall be paid out by the county treasurer only upon warrants drawn by the county auditor against the appropriate district fund. The county auditor shall draw warrants against the memorial district bond retirement fund, if that fund contains sufficient moneys, and if not, then, against any other funds of the district in payment of all valid and outstanding bonds of the district at maturity and of interest coupons thereon when due, upon presentation to the county auditor of the bonds or coupons by the owners thereof.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the moneys in the several funds of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District in the County of Fresno shall be paid out by the county treasurer upon request of the board against the appropriate district fund and shall not require a warrant to be drawn by the county auditor.

SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District’s specialized mission to serve a distinct demographic, necessitating local control, and the elected board’s discretion in financial management to ensure resources are optimized and fiduciary responsibilities are met.

SECTION 1.Section 1221 of the Military and Veterans Code is amended to read:
1221.
A contract for the construction or alteration of any hall, building, or meeting place shall not be let until professional estimates of the cost of that construction or alteration have been submitted to, considered, and approved by a majority of the board at an official meeting.