BILL NUMBER: AB 424	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 25, 2010
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 31, 2010
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 22, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 13, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 7, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 4, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 22, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Torres

                        FEBRUARY 23, 2009

   An act to add Section 53114.5 to the Government Code, relating to
the 911 emergency telephone number system.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 424, Torres. Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act: public
education campaign.
   The Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act requires every local
public agency to establish and operate, or to be a part of, an
emergency telephone system using the digits "911," and creates the
State 911 Advisory Board to assist in facilitating the purpose of the
act to establish the number 911 as the primary emergency telephone
number statewide.
   This bill would require the office of the State Chief Information
Officer to develop and implement a public education campaign to
instruct the public on the appropriate and inappropriate uses of the
911 emergency telephone number system.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Calling 911 is the primary way of initiating communication
between the public and public safety and law enforcement responders.
   (b) The 911 emergency response system in California is facing
multiple challenges in meeting the needs of the public, including
rapidly evolving communications technologies, understaffing of public
safety answering points, budget constraints, and technical
limitations of the current systems. Due to these challenges, the
state's 911 emergency response system is failing to meet minimum
standards for response in some areas, and jeopardizing the health and
safety of Californians.
   (c) Californians can participate in addressing some of these
challenges by increasing their knowledge of appropriate and
inappropriate uses of the 911 emergency telephone number system, and
the characteristics of the communication systems they use to access
the 911 emergency response system.
   (d) The responsible state entities should undertake a public
education campaign to increase the public's knowledge and assist the
public in making effective use of the 911 emergency telephone number
system, thereby improving the performance of the 911 emergency
response system.
  SEC. 2.  Section 53114.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   53114.5.  (a) The office of the State Chief Information Officer
shall develop and implement a public education campaign to instruct
the public on appropriate and inappropriate uses of the 911 emergency
telephone number system. The public education campaign may include
any of the following:
   (1) Education programs designed to help members of the public:
   (A) Distinguish emergencies that require a 911 call from
nonemergencies that can be handled through other types of requests
for information and response.
   (B) Understand alternatives, including 211 and 311, that can
provide nonemergency assistance to the public.
   (C) Understand what information they can provide when calling 911
to assist the 911 relay operator or dispatcher, including, but not
limited to, the caller's telephone number, the caller's location, and
a brief description of the emergency.
   (D) Understand the unique challenges of wireless 911 calls,
including, but not limited to, the need for callers to be prepared to
provide location information.
   (2) Education programs aimed specifically at informing schoolage
children about the appropriate and inappropriate uses of 911.
   (3) Any other matters that the office deems appropriate or that
the advisory board recommends and the office approves.
   (b) The costs to develop and implement the public education
campaign shall be costs of administration within the meaning of
paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 41136 of the Revenue and
Taxation Code, so long as these costs directly relate to the 911
emergency telephone number system, and shall be funded upon an
appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose.