SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) announced the passage of AB 2085, by a vote of 7-0, out of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. AB 2085 lowers the qualifying income threshold that must be met for California National Guard members to receive a grant from the Military Families Relief Fund.

“So many of our National Guard members have been away from their families since the beginning of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Assemblywoman Parra. “For all the sacrifices they make, I think we need to show them that we care and that we appreciate what they do for us all. AB 2085 is all about offering a helping hand to the brave men and women of the California National Guard.”

Existing law requires that a member applying for assistance from this fund meet all of the following criteria: membership in the California National Guard; residency in California; 100 consecutive days of deployment; and a 30% drop from civilian income. To date the fund has accumulated over $400,000, yet only a small number of grants totaling less than $15,000.00 have been distributed. This is attributed to the very stringent eligibility criteria that were included in the original legislation. AB 2085 addresses the most stringent of the criteria by changing the required drop in income from 30% to 10%. Figures show that, over the last year, more than 90% of National Guard applicants, who would otherwise be eligible to receive these funds, were turned away because of the excessive income requirement.

AB 2085, which is also supported by Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, will next be taken up by the Senate Appropriations Committee.