California 2023-2024 Regular Session

California Assembly Bill AR44 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION House Resolution No. 44Introduced by Assembly Member SoriaJune 07, 2023 Relative to Women Veterans Recognition Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTHR 44, as introduced, Soria. Digest KeyBill TextWHEREAS, Women have served in every major conflict since the American Revolution; andWHEREAS, During the American Revolution, women served on the battlefield alongside the men, even dressing as young men and boys to fight; andWHEREAS, More than 400 women fought in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War; andWHEREAS, During World War I, about 35,000 women officially served as nurses and support staff in components such as the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit (also known as the Hello Girls); andWHEREAS, Following Pearl Harbor, Congress authorized new womens components for each branch of the military and increased the number of active duty positions in the United States Army Nurse Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps; andWHEREAS, Women in World War II served in many roles, including performing dangerous missions such as flying targets for anti-aircraft gunners; andWHEREAS, More than 200,000 women served in World War II; andWHEREAS, One hundred forty thousand women served in the Womens Army Corps (WAC) and performed critical jobs, such as military intelligence, cryptography, and parachute rigging; and WHEREAS, In August 1943, the Women in the Air Force and the Womens Flying Training Detachment merged into a single unit for all women pilots known as the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), who flew more than 60,000 miles in two years; and WHEREAS, The 6888th Battalion, nicknamed Six Triple Eight, was formed as the first and only all-Black female WAC unit to be deployed overseas, and their motto was No Mail, Low Morale; andWHEREAS, At the end of World War II, in 1945, about 280,000 of the approximately 12,000,000 people who remained in the United States Armed Forces were women; and WHEREAS, President Harry S. Truman signed the Womens Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 80-625) into law on June 12, 1948, making women a permanent part of the United States Armed Forces, but the act continued to restrict women to 2 percent of the military population. That restriction was finally lifted in 1967 with the amendment of the Womens Armed Services Integration Act, which also opened senior officer ranks to women; andWHEREAS, During the Korean conflict, women continued serving by volunteering for service in the WAC, Women in the Air Force (WAF), Womens Reserve in the United States Navy, and Women Marines; andWHEREAS, Around 22,000 American women were serving on active duty during the Korean conflict; andWHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, women served in all branches of the military and held many positions, jobs, and pay grades; and WHEREAS, Among the 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., are eight women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country; and WHEREAS, Nearly 11,000 women served in Vietnam and played a vital role in sustaining our national security; andWHEREAS, In the 1970s, the transition of the United States Armed Forces to an all-volunteer service opened up more opportunities for women; and WHEREAS, Women sued the United States Department of Defense in 1976 to be allowed to serve aboard Navy combat vessels; and WHEREAS, In the late 1970s and early 1980s, many of the contributions made by women in World War II were formally recognized through laws that granted these women with veteran status for their time in service. This opened doors for women to take advantage of programs, opportunities, and benefits from the federal government, state governments, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA), and other veteran service organizations; andWHEREAS, In the 1980s and 1990s, women graduated from military service academies and flew combat missions for the first time; andWHEREAS, The early 1990s was a historic time for women in the military, with over 40,000 women deploying in support of the Persian Gulf War, making women servicemembers more visible in the eyes of the public. In addition, in 1992, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 repealed combat exclusion laws that had prevented women from flying combat aircraft; and WHEREAS, During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, women performed vital work on Female Engagement Teams; andWHEREAS, One hundred sixty women gave their lives during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and WHEREAS, June 12, 2023, is the 75th anniversary of the Womens Armed Services Integration Act; and WHEREAS, Women are the fastest growing group in the veteran population, as they account for approximately 10 percent of the overall veteran population today, and it is projected that women will make up 18 percent of the veteran population by 2040; and WHEREAS, Women who have served in the United States military are often referred to as invisible veterans because their service contributions went largely unrecognized by politicians, the media, academia, and the general public until the 1970s; andWHEREAS, Though women have been officially serving in the military since 1901, they have not always been considered qualified for veteran status for the purpose of receiving benefits from the USDVA; and WHEREAS, Even after women were granted veteran status, issues of access, exclusion, and improper management of their health care still remained; andWHEREAS, In 2008, the USDVAs Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group began a five-year plan to redesign the nations health care delivery system for women, and a fundamental component of this plan was to ensure that all women veterans had access to comprehensive primary care from skilled womens health providers. There are 2,000,000 women veterans in the United States, the territories of the United States, and abroad according to the USDVA, and nearly 163,000 women veterans make California their home according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet); and WHEREAS, California is home to nearly 163,000 women veterans and 32,000 servicewomen at 32 military installations; andWHEREAS, We owe all military women a great debt of gratitude for their service to our nation; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby proclaims June 12, 2023, as Women Veterans Recognition Day, and urges all Californians to join in celebrating the many contributions of women to our armed forces; and be it furtherResolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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3	3	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION House Resolution No. 44Introduced by Assembly Member SoriaJune 07, 2023 Relative to Women Veterans Recognition Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTHR 44, as introduced, Soria. Digest Key
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9	9	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20232024 REGULAR SESSION
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11	11	House Resolution
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13	13	No. 44
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15	15	Introduced by Assembly Member SoriaJune 07, 2023
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17	17	Introduced by Assembly Member Soria
18	18	June 07, 2023
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20	20	Relative to Women Veterans Recognition Day.
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22	22	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
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24	24	## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
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26	26	HR 44, as introduced, Soria.
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30	30	## Digest Key
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32	32	## Bill Text
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34	34	WHEREAS, Women have served in every major conflict since the American Revolution; and
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36	36	WHEREAS, During the American Revolution, women served on the battlefield alongside the men, even dressing as young men and boys to fight; and
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38	38	WHEREAS, More than 400 women fought in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War; and
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40	40	WHEREAS, During World War I, about 35,000 women officially served as nurses and support staff in components such as the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit (also known as the Hello Girls); and
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42	42	WHEREAS, Following Pearl Harbor, Congress authorized new womens components for each branch of the military and increased the number of active duty positions in the United States Army Nurse Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps; and
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44	44	WHEREAS, Women in World War II served in many roles, including performing dangerous missions such as flying targets for anti-aircraft gunners; and
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46	46	WHEREAS, More than 200,000 women served in World War II; and
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48	48	WHEREAS, One hundred forty thousand women served in the Womens Army Corps (WAC) and performed critical jobs, such as military intelligence, cryptography, and parachute rigging; and
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50	50	WHEREAS, In August 1943, the Women in the Air Force and the Womens Flying Training Detachment merged into a single unit for all women pilots known as the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), who flew more than 60,000 miles in two years; and
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52	52	WHEREAS, The 6888th Battalion, nicknamed Six Triple Eight, was formed as the first and only all-Black female WAC unit to be deployed overseas, and their motto was No Mail, Low Morale; and
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54	54	WHEREAS, At the end of World War II, in 1945, about 280,000 of the approximately 12,000,000 people who remained in the United States Armed Forces were women; and
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56	56	WHEREAS, President Harry S. Truman signed the Womens Armed Services Integration Act (Public Law 80-625) into law on June 12, 1948, making women a permanent part of the United States Armed Forces, but the act continued to restrict women to 2 percent of the military population. That restriction was finally lifted in 1967 with the amendment of the Womens Armed Services Integration Act, which also opened senior officer ranks to women; and
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58	58	WHEREAS, During the Korean conflict, women continued serving by volunteering for service in the WAC, Women in the Air Force (WAF), Womens Reserve in the United States Navy, and Women Marines; and
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60	60	WHEREAS, Around 22,000 American women were serving on active duty during the Korean conflict; and
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62	62	WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, women served in all branches of the military and held many positions, jobs, and pay grades; and
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64	64	WHEREAS, Among the 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., are eight women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country; and
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66	66	WHEREAS, Nearly 11,000 women served in Vietnam and played a vital role in sustaining our national security; and
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68	68	WHEREAS, In the 1970s, the transition of the United States Armed Forces to an all-volunteer service opened up more opportunities for women; and
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70	70	WHEREAS, Women sued the United States Department of Defense in 1976 to be allowed to serve aboard Navy combat vessels; and
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72	72	WHEREAS, In the late 1970s and early 1980s, many of the contributions made by women in World War II were formally recognized through laws that granted these women with veteran status for their time in service. This opened doors for women to take advantage of programs, opportunities, and benefits from the federal government, state governments, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA), and other veteran service organizations; and
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74	74	WHEREAS, In the 1980s and 1990s, women graduated from military service academies and flew combat missions for the first time; and
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76	76	WHEREAS, The early 1990s was a historic time for women in the military, with over 40,000 women deploying in support of the Persian Gulf War, making women servicemembers more visible in the eyes of the public. In addition, in 1992, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 repealed combat exclusion laws that had prevented women from flying combat aircraft; and
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78	78	WHEREAS, During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, women performed vital work on Female Engagement Teams; and
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80	80	WHEREAS, One hundred sixty women gave their lives during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
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82	82	WHEREAS, June 12, 2023, is the 75th anniversary of the Womens Armed Services Integration Act; and
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84	84	WHEREAS, Women are the fastest growing group in the veteran population, as they account for approximately 10 percent of the overall veteran population today, and it is projected that women will make up 18 percent of the veteran population by 2040; and
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86	86	WHEREAS, Women who have served in the United States military are often referred to as invisible veterans because their service contributions went largely unrecognized by politicians, the media, academia, and the general public until the 1970s; and
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88	88	WHEREAS, Though women have been officially serving in the military since 1901, they have not always been considered qualified for veteran status for the purpose of receiving benefits from the USDVA; and
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90	90	WHEREAS, Even after women were granted veteran status, issues of access, exclusion, and improper management of their health care still remained; and
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92	92	WHEREAS, In 2008, the USDVAs Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group began a five-year plan to redesign the nations health care delivery system for women, and a fundamental component of this plan was to ensure that all women veterans had access to comprehensive primary care from skilled womens health providers. There are 2,000,000 women veterans in the United States, the territories of the United States, and abroad according to the USDVA, and nearly 163,000 women veterans make California their home according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet); and
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94	94	WHEREAS, California is home to nearly 163,000 women veterans and 32,000 servicewomen at 32 military installations; and
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96	96	WHEREAS, We owe all military women a great debt of gratitude for their service to our nation; now, therefore, be it
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98	98	Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby proclaims June 12, 2023, as Women Veterans Recognition Day, and urges all Californians to join in celebrating the many contributions of women to our armed forces; and be it further
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100	100	Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.