CA AJR7

Urges United States Congress and the President to permit states to extend burial and memorial benefits to Hmong veterans in state veterans cemeteries, matching benefits available in national veterans cemeteries.

Acknowledges that Hmong soldiers served in Special Guerrilla Units in Laos during the Vietnam War under CIA direction, with 30,000 to 40,000 killed and between one-tenth to one-half of the Hmong population killed overall.

Notes that approximately 100,000 Hmong individuals currently reside in California, the largest Hmong population in the United States.

States that while Hmong and Laotian veterans gained access to national veterans cemetery burial benefits through the 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act, states currently cannot permit their burial in state veterans cemeteries without risking loss of federal Veterans Cemetery Grants Program funding.

Expresses the Legislature's solidarity with Hmong veterans and directs the Chief Clerk to transmit the resolution to federal leadership and California's congressional representatives.