Bill Text: CA AJR38 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered


Bill Title: Fair employment and housing: military and veteran status.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-07-15 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 99, Statutes of 2014. [AJR38 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AJR38-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: AJR 38	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  99
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JULY 15, 2014
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JULY 3, 2014
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 8, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Salas

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2014

   Relative to military and veterans.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 38, 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 coauthors on those measures.



   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 underemployment; 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 coauthors 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.
                                   
feedback