BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Bill No: AB
1116
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Roderick D. Wright, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
Bill Analysis
AB 1116 Author: Fong
As Introduced: February 18, 2011
Hearing Date: June 28, 2011
Consultant: Paul Donahue
SUBJECT : Emergency services
SUMMARY : Requires the California Emergency Management
Agency to take measures to help people with limited English
proficiency (LEP) prepare for emergencies and understand
information conveyed during emergencies.
Existing law : The California Emergency Services Act,
requires the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal
EMA) to coordinate the emergency services of all state
agencies in connection with emergencies, and to establish a
standardized emergency management system for use by all
emergency response agencies.
This bill :
1) Requires the Secretary of Cal EMA (Secretary) to
consider the multiple languages and the needs of
populations with LEP:
a) During emergency preparedness planning, response,
and recovery;
b) When developing committee recommendations within
the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
structure,
c) When drafting guidance for local and regional
governmental entities, and
d) In reviewing emergency plans of state, regional,
AB 1116 (Fong) continued
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and local government entities.
2) Directs the Secretary to work in collaboration with
local ethnic community-based organizations and ethnic media
outlets in developing communication strategies so that
alert and warning information can be widely disseminated to
LEP communities.
3) Requires the Secretary to utilize a registry of
qualified bilingual persons in public contract positions,
to assist with emergency preparedness, response, and
recovery, as deemed necessary.
4) Instructs the Secretary to incorporate the needs of
populations with LEP in all emergency preparedness,
response, and recovery training and exercises, including
the exercises identified in the statewide exercise strategy
and other exercises related to crisis communications.
COMMENTS :
1) Purpose of the bill : According to the author,
California has long been prone to disasters, and emergency
preparedness planning at the state and local levels is
crucial for ensuring our state is equipped to recover from
any disaster situation. California has approximately 36
million inhabitants, and over 40% speak a language other
than English. Emergency Responders are faced with
extraordinary language diversities. To ensure emergency
preparedness in any disaster, communication with the public
is essential for conveying important safety instructions
and procedures. But this is a challenging task to perform
in California, because the current system does not address
the problem of language barriers.
The author states, before another disaster strikes
California, our state and local agencies must prepare to
accommodate communication for large numbers of individuals
with limited understanding of English. AB 1116 is a
cost-effective measure that builds upon our existing
emergency preparedness system to respond to the needs of
these individuals. This is a vital addition to
California's emergency services procedures that will save
lives and minimize injuries and damages through a
coordinated communication effort of the responders with the
victims.
AB 1116 (Fong) continued
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2) Disaster preparedness report : The Tomas Rivera Policy
Institute and Asian Pacific American Legal Center released
a report in June 2008, that examines how communities with
large populations with LEP immigrants would fare in the
face of a natural disaster striking Southern California.
After conducting interviews with emergency service
personnel, both in local governments and in non-profit
organizations, and holding focus groups with LEP community
members in their languages, they found among other things
that: (1) there is a lack of disaster preparedness
education conducted in languages that reflect area
populations, (2) first responders typically rely on
bilingual family members to provide translation services to
LEP populations, and (3) there are no meaningful mechanisms
in place to provide translated emergency information
rapidly to LEP populations in Southern California.
3) Integrating Emergency Services : The Little Hoover
Commission issued a report in 2006, titled "Preparing for
Catastrophic Events" that charged California for not being
prepared to respond to a catastrophic emergency. The
report indicates that state and local agencies must be
prepared to provide communication services to large numbers
of LEP individuals.
4) Related legislation :
AB 611 (Fong, 2011) would have required Cal EMA to take
measures to help people with LEP prepare for emergencies
and understand information conveyed during emergencies,
such as utilizing bilingual persons in public contact
positions, and coordinating with organizations that
represent the needs of LEP persons in order to disseminate
guidance to local and regional governmental entities.
(Vetoed)
AB 1930 (Torrico, 2008) would have required OES to take
measures to help people with LEP prepare for emergencies
and understand information conveyed during emergencies,
such as utilizing persons in public contact positions, and
coordinating with organizations that represent the needs of
LEP persons in order to disseminate guidance to local and
regional governmental entities. (Held in Senate
Appropriations Committee)
AB 1116 (Fong) continued
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AB 615 (Torrico, 2007) would have required OES to consider
the needs of people with LEP in creating emergency and
disaster response plans. (Held in Assembly Appropriations
Committee)
AB 103 (Cohn) Chapter 696, Statutes of 2006 requires the
State Department of Education to electronically distribute
disaster preparedness educational materials and lesson
plans that are currently available to local school
districts and county offices of education in at least the
three most dominant primary languages spoken by English
learners in California.
SB 1451 (Kehoe), Chapter 600, Statutes of 2006 requires OES
to ensure that members of the disabled community are
represented on all pertinent SEMS Specialist Committees to
ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met
during emergency and disaster situations.
SUPPORT:
American Civil Liberties Union
Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality
Asian Health Services
California Academy of Family Physicians
California Communities United Institute
California Language Teachers Association
California Medical Association
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network
Little Hoover Commission
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
OPPOSE:
None on file
FISCAL COMMITTEE: Senate Appropriations Committee
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