California is currently home to over 2 million veterans and large numbers of elder veterans, who are often targeted by unscrupulous businesses and individuals using military insignia and patriotic logos to get to their pensions, retirement assets, Social Security, or property. Various interested stakeholders, which included the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America and California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, sponsored CA SB 272 of 2013 to restrict the use of military or government terms, symbols, and content that reasonably could be interpreted or construed as implying a connection, approval, or endorsement of any product or service.
Existing federal law prohibits the use of any seal, insignia, trade or brand name that could reasonably be interpreted or construed as implying any federal government connection, approval, or endorsement unless the mailing has a notification on its face, cover or wrapper that it is not affiliated with any federal government agency. With the enactment of SB 272, California now prohibits any nongovernmental entity from these prohibited practices.