AB 46 is scheduled to go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on 14 August 2023 at 10:00. You can still submit your letter of support to the committee.
Here are the ways you can submit a letter:
1. Electronically via the California Legislature Position Letter Portal: https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/
o This portal is available to individuals, advocates, and lobbyists. You will have to create an account.
2. Hand deliver to the Committee office in State Capitol Room 412
3. Email the committee: sapr@sen.ca.gov
4. Mail to: Senate Appropriations Committee, California State Capitol, Room 412, Sacramento CA 95814
Please note: Position letters delivered to the committee are not forwarded to the members of the committee. You are encouraged to hand deliver or mail your letter to each member individually. Please see the Committee Members Contacts below for full contact details on each member of the committee.
Subject: AB 46, help needed at Senate Appropriations
Date: July 14, 2023 at 2:04:43 PM PDT
All,
A Voter Voice was sent out from the Commanders Council today. The voter voice was ONLY SENT to those who are CONSITUENTS of a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
See below instructions for those who did not receive a voter voice but reside in one of the listed districts to send a personal message to their Senator.
Jeff
_____________________________________________________________
Servicemembers, veterans, uniformed services retirees, and the civilians who support them: Currently in the California Legislature, there is a bill that seeks to exempt uniformed services (military, NOAA, USPHS) retirement pay from the state income tax. It also will exempt the cash benefit of the DoD’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). This bill is AB 46 by Assemblyman James Ramos (D-San Bernardino). AB 46 is going to be heard soon by the Senate Appropriations Committee and help is needed from people that live in the Senate districts of the committee members. Anyone (not just mil and vets) can indicate their support for this bill as long as they are a constituent of one the Senators below. Please send a message to your Senator asking them to vote to pass AB 46 out of the Appropriations Committee.
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Senator Anthony J. Portantino (Chair) :
Altadena, Arcadia, Burbank, Claremont, Duarte, Glendale, Glendora, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, San Dimas, San Marino, South Pasadena, Upland
https://sd25.senate.ca.gov/contact
Senator Brian W. Jones (Vice Chair) :
Escondido, Mira Mesa, Poway, San Marcos, Santee
https://sr40.senate.ca.gov/e-mail-senator
Elk Grove, Freeport, Greenhaven, North Sacramento, North Highlands, Sacramento
https://sd08.senate.ca.gov/contact
Carson, Compton, Gardena, Harbor City, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, South Los Angeles, San Pedro, Torrance
https://sd35.senate.ca.gov/contact
Alberhill, Chino Hills, Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Yorba Linda
https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.php?district=SD32&inframe=N
Fremont, Hayward, Milpitas, Newark, Santa Clara, Union City
https://sd10.senate.ca.gov/contact
Daly City, Pacifica, San Francisco
https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/contact
How to send a message to your Senator:
Click on the contact link above for your Senator and follow the directions. After you enter your personal information, you can cut and paste the message below into the dialog box designated “comments”.
Message you can cut and paste into the “comments” section:
Dear Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee: AB 46-Ramos, is one of the key veterans bills in the Legislature this year and will soon be heard in your committee. AB 46 seeks to exclude from the state income tax, military/uniformed service retirement pay and income annuity payments for recipients of the Department of Defense’s Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP).
The uniformed services are comprised of the military service branches, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), and the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These retirees dedicated 20 or more years of their lives to the safety of America and deserve this tax relief. The State of California also stands to benefit from AB 46 because the vast majority of these men and women are in their 40s or 50s when they retire. Most military retirees pursue 2nd or 3rd professional careers, often leveraging their military training to become workers in the tech industry, teachers, skilled tradespeople, or corporate managers. They pay full income tax on these subsequent, well-paying careers, which bring revenue to the state’s coffers as well as add to the tax base of the state’s local economies. Their expertise also bolsters California’s trained workforce, thereby increasing production.
However, an increasing number of military retirees are leaving the state upon retirement because California’s cost of living is too high compared to other states. AB 46 will act as an incentive to keep these skilled people in California by letting them exclude their uniformed service retirement pay from the state income tax.
Military retirees who do remain in California provide a highly trained pool of workers to fill many of the 40,000 technical and 20,000 medical field vacancies in California. These jobs include software engineering, cybersecurity, aerospace, systems engineering, biochemistry, physicians, nurses and management level positions. It is anticipated the need for skilled workers will grow by 2% a year. Additionally, many military retirees, surviving spouses and children will use their federal GI Bill educational benefits to pursue advanced degrees in STEM and medical occupations to add to California’s much needed skilled workforce.
According to a study conducted for the Governor’s Military Council, the defense industry contributed $168 billion dollars to CA’s economy in 2021, 5% of the state’s budget. The DoD estimates that military retirees bring a $4.1 billion, annual inflation-protected stream of federal funds, to California’s economy each year. This state income tax exemption will provide California a net increase in the performance of its economic engine.
Please vote yes on moving AB 46 out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.