BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 918| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONSENT Bill No: AB 918 Author: Cooley (D) Amended: 5/1/13 in Assembly Vote: 21 SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE : 11-0, 6/25/13 AYES: Wright, Nielsen, Berryhill, Calderon, Cannella, Correa, De León, Galgiani, Hernandez, Lieu, Padilla SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 5/16/13 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Emergency services: preparedness SOURCE : California Senior Legislature DIGEST : This bill requires the Office of Emergency Services (OES), on or before July 31, 2015, to update the State Emergency Plan (SEP) to include proposed best practices for local governments and nongovernmental entities to use to mobilize and evacuate people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs during an emergency or natural disaster. ANALYSIS : Existing law: 1.Establishes the OES by the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2, operative July 1, 2013. CONTINUED AB 918 Page 2 2.Requires OES to perform a variety of duties with respect to specified emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response activities in the state, including emergency medical services. 3.Specifies that the SEP shall be in effect in each political subdivision of the state, and the governing body of each political subdivision shall take necessary actions to carry out the provisions of the SEP. 4.Requires the Governor to coordinate the SEP and those programs necessary to mitigate the effects of an emergency. 5.Requires the Governor to coordinate the preparation of plans and programs for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency by the political subdivisions of the state, such plans and programs to be integrated into and coordinated with the SEP and the plans and programs of the federal government and of other states to the fullest possible extent. 6.Specifies that the Governor may, in accordance with the SEP and programs for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency in this state, as specified. Background The SEP is coordinated through the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA). The Cal EMA will become the OES, effective July 1, 2013. The SEP was last updated in 2009; it is scheduled to be updated in 2014. Currently, little of the SEP is dedicated to senior citizens and functional needs persons. This bill increases local preparedness in the event of an emergency or natural disaster by directing the OES to include in the SEP best practice procedures regarding emergency and evacuation procedures for senior 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. SEP . The SEP addresses the state's response to extraordinary emergency situations associated with natural disasters or human-caused emergencies. In accordance with the California Emergency Services Act, the plan describes the methods for CONTINUED AB 918 Page 3 carrying out emergency operations, the process for rendering mutual aid, the emergency services of governmental agencies, how resources are mobilized, how the public will be informed and the process to ensure continuity of government during an emergency or disaster. The SEP is a management document intended to be read and understood before an emergency occurs. It is designed to outline the activities of all California jurisdictions within a statewide emergency management system and it embraces the capabilities and resources in the broader emergency management community that includes individuals, businesses, non-governmental organizations, tribal governments, other states, federal government and international assistance. Comments According to the author's office, 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. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 8/9/13) California Senior Legislature (source) AFSCME, AFL-CIO Arc and United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties Association of Regional Center Agencies California Association for Health Services at Home California Commission on Aging California State Retirees Consumer Federation of California County Welfare Directors Association of California Marin County Commission on Aging ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the bill's sponsor, the California Senior Legislature, this bill directs OES to include, in their updated SEP, language related to best practice procedures regarding emergency and evacuation procedures for possible use by local governmental and non-governmental entities CONTINUED AB 918 Page 4 specific to senior citizens and functional needs persons. They also claim this bill will help to protect vulnerable groups during an emergency or disaster. ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-0, 05/16/13 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Mitchell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Donnelly, Grove, Holden, Melendez, Morrell, Patterson, Stone, Vacancy MW:nl 8/12/13 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED