Bill to Fund County Veterans Service Officers Clears First Committee

This week, RCRC-supported Assembly Bill 171, introduced by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), cleared the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, of which the author is Chair.  AB 171 seeks to continuously appropriate $5.6 million per year for County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs).  The bill passed the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously, with several members of the Committee requesting to co-author the measure.  

While California code includes an authorization for $11 million to be allocated to CVSOs, funding for CVSOs is currently subject to the whims of the Budget process, which leaves CVSOs dramatically underfunded with historic allocations ranging from $2.6-5.6 million in recent years.  This measure would remove the fiscal uncertainty, guaranteeing at least $5.6 million every year allowing for funding of permanent positions and training for additional CVSO representatives. 

A copy of RCRC’s AB 171 support letter can be accessed here.