Veterans’ preferences: eligible spouses.

Assembly Member Sharp-Collins proposes expanding California's veterans' preference system in state civil service hiring to include active duty service members and their spouses, building upon existing provisions that prioritize veterans and their families in public employment opportunities.

The legislation modifies state hiring procedures by automatically ranking active duty service members in the top tier of eligibility lists when they pass entrance examinations - the same position currently held by veterans, their widows/widowers, and spouses of fully disabled veterans. It also permits state employers to extend hiring and promotion preferences to spouses of active duty personnel, veterans, and veterans' surviving or caregiving spouses. For active duty candidates, the bill allows military commanding officers to verify service status temporarily, though standard documentation remains required before beginning state employment.

The measure establishes definitions and procedures for the new preferences, tasking relevant departments with developing verification protocols in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs. It maintains existing exclusions, such as for those dishonorably discharged, while adding provisions for spouses to receive credits on selection tests related to hiring and promotional opportunities. These changes affect four sections of the Government Code governing veterans' preferences in state civil service employment.