SB 543: Veterans: Veterans' Home of California.

Existing law requires the administrator of a veterans home to maintain a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund, which is required to be used, at the discretion of the administrator and subject to the approval of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to provide for the general welfare of the veterans. Existing law specifies the moneys required to be deposited into the fund, and requires the administrator to prepare an itemized report for the expenditures made out of, and deposits made into, the fund. Under existing law, those reports are required to be submitted to the secretary, the fiscal committees of the Assembly and Senate, the committees of the Assembly and the Senate that have subject matter jurisdiction over veterans affairs, and the Veterans Home Allied Council on or before August 20 of each year.

This bill would create the Veterans Home Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Special Fund (MWR Fund), a continuously appropriated fund, in the State Treasury. The bill would require the administrator of a veterans home to deposit all moneys maintained by the administrator in an existing Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund into the statewide MWR Fund. The bill would require the administrator of each home to establish a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Operating Fund (MWRO Fund) to administer quality of life activities for the general welfare of the residents and receive funds from the MWR Fund, as specified, and to establish an MWR Advisory Committee, as specified. The bill would require the department, in consultation with the MWR Advisory Committee, the Veterans Home Allied Council or the resident council of each home, to adopt regulations related to, among other things, administering the MWR Fund and the MWRO Funds and the process by which the homes submit and receive budget allocations. The bill would authorize the use of funds in the MWR Fund to provide for the general welfare of the residents of a home, as specified, and would specify restrictions on the use of those funds. The bill would require the department to annually determine the total amount for disbursement from the MWR Fund, and for that disbursement to be allocated proportionally to each homes relative share of the total population of the entire veterans home system. The bill would authorize additional allocations to any veterans home if it is appropriate on the basis of factors including, but not limited to, the homes unique age, size, population, and historical significance. The bill would authorize the administrator of a home to enter into an agreement with the Veterans Home Allied Council to operate facilities and activities that are related to authorized expenditures from the MWR Fund, as specified. The bill would require the department to prepare annual reports regarding moneys deposited into the MWR Fund and expenditure of those funds, as specified, and to submit the report on or before December 31 of each year to specified entities. The bill would require the department to maintain a $3,000,000 reserve in the MWR Fund and would authorize the department to invest moneys in the MWR Fund in the Surplus Money Investment Fund or by contracting with a third-party investment broker consistent with laws and regulations regarding selecting prudent, approved investment types.