BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                       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.
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          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  

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          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  

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          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

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