Now awaiting the Governor’s signature after making its way through the Legislature is a bill that will recognize the United States Space Force as a military service, enabling recruiters to work on California high school campuses, and offering the same educational opportunities to children of Space Force members as those enjoyed by members of other branches of the military.
The Space Force was created in 2019 to pursue “superiority in the space domain” for national security and to recognize “the growing threat posed by strategic competitors in space,” according to the Force’s website.
Under Assembly Bill 1605, authored by Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), military families and their children would benefit from what’s known as the military interstate compact, which aids such children in completing school while enduring constant school changes if their parent’s military service requires they relocate often. Some children have had to move as many as six to nine times before graduation, according to an analysis of the bill.
“AB 1605 is a common-sense bill that updates the California Education Code to include the U.S. Space Force,” Mr. Gallagher stated in the analysis. “This is a small but important step toward supporting our military and their families.”
With the Force’s recent establishment, such military benefits haven’t been established.
The bill, if signed into law, would aid children in timely enrollment, as well as assist with the transfer of school records, school placements, on-time graduation, and placement in school programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities, according to the analysis.
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The bill passed the Senate floor 38–0 in August and the Assembly floor 78–1 in May.
