BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 918|
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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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