Enrolled April 01, 2019 Passed IN Senate March 28, 2019 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20192020 REGULAR SESSION Senate Resolution No. 26Introduced by Senator Borgeas(Coauthors: Senators Grove, Nielsen, Roth, and Wilk)March 18, 2019 Relative to National Blinded Veterans Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSR 26, Borgeas. Digest KeyBill TextWHEREAS, On March 28, the Blinded Veterans Association will promote national recognition for National Blinded Veterans Day and its efforts to improve rehabilitation services, education, and benefits for our nations blinded veterans during more than seven decades of service; andWHEREAS, The Blinded Veterans Association is worthy of special congratulations and recognition on its 74th anniversary of representing blinded veterans and their families since March 28, 1945, when 100 World War II blinded service members at Avon Old Farms Army Convalescent Hospital in Connecticut, at 8:45 a.m., formed the Blinded Veterans Association; andWHEREAS, These individual blinded veterans, a cross-section of American WWII heroes, were pioneers in establishing rehabilitation services for the war blinded, who not only shaped the rich history, philosophy, knowledge, and skills of education and rehabilitation of the blind, giving us insight into current and future challenges, but also shared their personal lives and showed us strategies to ensure that services for all blinded veterans remain unique and specialized; andWHEREAS, General Omar Bradley, the Veterans Affairs Administrator, appointed BVA as the first official representative for blinded veterans to assist blinded veterans in obtaining VA benefits and to advocate upon their behalf, making it only the eighth veterans service organization to receive that authorization and the only veterans service organization since then to receive its own day of recognition; andWHEREAS, The Blinded Veterans Association was originally incorporated in the State of New York as a nonprofit association, then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1947; andWHEREAS, The 58th Congress approved the Congressional Charter for recognizing the Blinded Veterans Association in 1958; andWHEREAS, From its early beginnings, the Blinded Veterans Association encouraged the blinded veterans it served to take their rightful place in the community with their fellow men and work with them toward the creation of a peaceful world, and have continued to advocate for veterans with visual impairments to regain independence, confidence, and self-esteem through rehabilitation training; andWHEREAS, Many Americans recognize March 28 of each year as National Blinded Veterans Day; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate supports the goals and ideals of National Blinded Veterans Day and expresses appreciation for the efforts and goals of the Blinded Veterans Association in improving the rehabilitation services, education, and benefits for blinded veterans of the United States, and calls upon the people of California and the United States to recognize and observe National Blinded Veterans Day with appropriate programs and public activities; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
Enrolled April 01, 2019 Passed IN Senate March 28, 2019 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20192020 REGULAR SESSION Senate Resolution No. 26Introduced by Senator Borgeas(Coauthors: Senators Grove, Nielsen, Roth, and Wilk)March 18, 2019 Relative to National Blinded Veterans Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSR 26, Borgeas. Digest Key
Enrolled April 01, 2019 Passed IN Senate March 28, 2019
Enrolled April 01, 2019
Passed IN Senate March 28, 2019
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20192020 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Resolution No. 26
Introduced by Senator Borgeas(Coauthors: Senators Grove, Nielsen, Roth, and Wilk)March 18, 2019
Introduced by Senator Borgeas(Coauthors: Senators Grove, Nielsen, Roth, and Wilk)
March 18, 2019
Relative to National Blinded Veterans Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SR 26, Borgeas.
## Digest Key
## Bill Text
WHEREAS, On March 28, the Blinded Veterans Association will promote national recognition for National Blinded Veterans Day and its efforts to improve rehabilitation services, education, and benefits for our nations blinded veterans during more than seven decades of service; and
WHEREAS, The Blinded Veterans Association is worthy of special congratulations and recognition on its 74th anniversary of representing blinded veterans and their families since March 28, 1945, when 100 World War II blinded service members at Avon Old Farms Army Convalescent Hospital in Connecticut, at 8:45 a.m., formed the Blinded Veterans Association; and
WHEREAS, These individual blinded veterans, a cross-section of American WWII heroes, were pioneers in establishing rehabilitation services for the war blinded, who not only shaped the rich history, philosophy, knowledge, and skills of education and rehabilitation of the blind, giving us insight into current and future challenges, but also shared their personal lives and showed us strategies to ensure that services for all blinded veterans remain unique and specialized; and
WHEREAS, General Omar Bradley, the Veterans Affairs Administrator, appointed BVA as the first official representative for blinded veterans to assist blinded veterans in obtaining VA benefits and to advocate upon their behalf, making it only the eighth veterans service organization to receive that authorization and the only veterans service organization since then to receive its own day of recognition; and
WHEREAS, The Blinded Veterans Association was originally incorporated in the State of New York as a nonprofit association, then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1947; and
WHEREAS, The 58th Congress approved the Congressional Charter for recognizing the Blinded Veterans Association in 1958; and
WHEREAS, From its early beginnings, the Blinded Veterans Association encouraged the blinded veterans it served to take their rightful place in the community with their fellow men and work with them toward the creation of a peaceful world, and have continued to advocate for veterans with visual impairments to regain independence, confidence, and self-esteem through rehabilitation training; and
WHEREAS, Many Americans recognize March 28 of each year as National Blinded Veterans Day; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate supports the goals and ideals of National Blinded Veterans Day and expresses appreciation for the efforts and goals of the Blinded Veterans Association in improving the rehabilitation services, education, and benefits for blinded veterans of the United States, and calls upon the people of California and the United States to recognize and observe National Blinded Veterans Day with appropriate programs and public activities; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.