BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 918
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 8, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 918 (Cooley) - As Amended: May 1, 2013
Policy Committee: Governmental
Organization Vote: 16 - 1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Office of Emergency Services (OES), on or
before July 31, 2015, to update the State Emergency Plan to
include proposed best practices for local governments and
nongovernmental entities to use to mobilize and evacuate senior
citizens and disabled persons during an emergency or natural
disaster.
FISCAL EFFECT
OES through their Office of Access and Functional Needs
Assessment works with other entities to ensure that the needs of
persons with disabilities and seniors are addressed during any
type of emergency. Therefore, costs associated with
incorporating that information into the State Emergency Plan
should be minor and absorbable within existing resources.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . According to the author, many disabled persons and
seniors live alone or in circumstances that require special
planning because many are physically unable to help themselves
in the event of an emergency. The author argues that
currently, little of the California State Emergency Plan,
coordinated through the OES, is dedicated to senior citizens
and functional needs persons.
This bill is intended to increase local preparedness in the
event of an emergency or natural disaster by directing OES to
include in the State Emergency Plan best practice procedures
regarding emergency and evacuation procedures for senior
AB 918
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citizens and functional needs persons. These best practices
may be used by local governmental and nongovernmental entities
in order to prepare for an emergency or in the event of an
emergency.
2)Related Legislation . AB 2051 (Tran), 2010, would have
authorized the California Emergency Management Agency to
prepare, in voluntary cooperation with specific local
governmental and nongovernmental entities, a specialized plan
to mobilize senior citizens and disabled persons during an
emergency or natural disaster. That bill was held on the
Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.
AB 1970 (Fong), 2010, would have required counties to assess
the needs of the elderly and disabled in emergency shelters
during a declared state of emergency and to provide and pay
In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers to work with
those individuals needing services. That bill was held on this
committee's Suspense File.
SB 1451 (Kehoe), Chapter 600, Statutes of 2006, required the
Office of Emergency Services (OES) to ensure that members of
the disabled community are represented on all pertinent
emergency preparedness committees.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081