California Senate Bill SB237 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 237INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Calderon (Coauthor: Assembly Member Brown) FEBRUARY 12, 2013 An act to amend Sections 51430 and 51442 of the Education Code, relating to retroactive high school diplomas. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 237, as introduced, Calderon. High school diplomas: retroactive high school diplomas; veterans. Existing law authorizes a high school district, unified school district, or county office of education to retroactively grant a high school diploma to veterans of World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War, under specified conditions. Existing law also defines "veteran" for the purpose of retroactive high school diplomas. This bill would make those provisions applicable to all veterans, and would revise the definition of veteran for purposes of those provisions to include, among other things, service in humanitarian missions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 51430 of the Education Code is amended to read: 51430. (a) Notwithstanding any other  provision of  law, a high school district, unified school district, or county office of education  ,  may retroactively grant a high school diploma to a person who has not received a high school diploma if he or she meets either of the following conditions: (1) The person was interned by order of the federal government during World War II and was enrolled in a high school operated by the school district or under the jurisdiction of the county office of education immediately preceding his or her internment and did not receive a high school diploma because his or her education was interrupted due to his or her internment during World War II. (2) The person is a veteran  of World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War   , as defined in Section 51442  , was honorably discharged from his or her military service, was enrolled in a high school operated by the school district or under the jurisdiction of the county office of education immediately preceding his or her military service  in those wars  , and did not receive a high school diploma because his or her education was interrupted due to his or her military service  in those wars  . (b) A high school district, unified school district, or county office of education may retroactively grant a high school diploma to a deceased person who meets the conditions of paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a), to be received by the next of kin of the deceased person. SEC. 2. Section 51442 of the Education Code is amended to read: 51442. For purposes of this article, "veteran" means a person who has served 90 days or more in the military service of the United States during a war with a foreign power  , as defined in Section 22804,     a   humanitarian mission,  or  during  any national emergency declared by the President of the United States and who has received an honorable discharge from that service.