BILL ANALYSIS �
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1073|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1073
Author: Torres (D)
Amended: 4/18/13 in Assembly
Vote: 21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 56-17, 5/16/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Emergency services: utility access
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Office of Emergency Services
(OES) to develop
a universal insignia, on or before January 1, 2015, that may be
displayed on badges worn by a properly qualified and certified
utility worker or technician that will enable the person to gain
access to a location subject to a disaster or other emergency to
provide vital utility services. Specifically, this bill
specifies that OES will be responsible for determining the
qualification and certification process that will allow a
utility worker or technician to display the insignia.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Establishes the OES by the Governor's Reorganization Plan No.
2 (GRP 2), operative July 1, 2013.
2. Requires OES to establish by rule and regulation various
CONTINUED
AB 1073
Page
2
classes of disaster service workers and the scope of the
duties of each class.
3. Requires OES to also adopt rules and regulations prescribing
the manner in which disaster service workers of each class
are to be registered.
4. Authorizes OES to establish a statewide registry of private
businesses and nonprofit organizations that are interested in
donating services, goods, labor, equipment, resources or
dispensaries or other facilities for disaster preparedness.
This bill:
1. Requires OES to develop a universal insignia, on or before
January 1, 2015, that may be displayed on badges worn by a
properly qualified and certified utility worker or technician
that will enable the person to gain access to a location
subject to a disaster or other emergency to provide vital
utility services.
2. Specifies that OES will be responsible for determining the
qualification and certification process that will allow a
utility worker or technician to display the insignia.
Background
The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) is
responsible for mitigating the effects of natural, manmade, or
war-caused emergencies which result in conditions of disaster or
in extreme peril to life, property, and the resources of the
state. Cal EMA coordinates overall state agency response to
major disasters in support of local government and assures the
state's readiness to respond to and recover from all emergencies
and disasters and for assisting local governments in their
emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and hazard
mitigation efforts. Cal EMA became the OES on July 1, 2013, due
to GRP 2.
According to the author, Hurricane Sandy was a reminder of the
devastating impact a storm can inflict on vital utility
services. The super storm resulted in power outages of almost
10 million customers in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
The restoration of the electric power service from Hurricane
CONTINUED
AB 1073
Page
3
Sandy is the biggest single task that the electric utility
industry has ever undertaken, involving almost 70,000 utility
workers in about a two week period.
The author states that utility restoral workers play a critical
role in emergency or disaster response by stabilizing and
restoring critical utility infrastructure and setting conditions
for recovery. Utility restoral workers stabilize and repair
electric, petroleum pipeline, telecommunications, gas and water
and/or wastewater conveyance, distribution and infrastructure to
a functional level.
The author further states that today, in the event of a disaster
or emergency, there is no reliable or standardized method for
first responders (typically police and fire) to identify
qualified utility restoral workers without first contacting a
utility provider. The utility provider in turn must locate and
dispatch employees to the scene of a disaster when response time
is critical to saving lives and property. In times of emergency
or disaster, first responders must be able to quickly identify
qualified utility restoral workers without unnecessary delays.
This bill provides utility restoral workers with a standardized
identifier which will enable immediate access to areas within
disaster zones that may otherwise be restricted to the general
public and ensure that critical time is not lost to stabilize,
repair and restore critical utility infrastructure.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, costs
associated with OES creating the required insignia will likely
be less than $25,000 from the General Fund.
SUPPORT : (Unable to verify at time of writing)
Communication Workers of America
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The Communications Workers of America
state that there is currently no reliable or standardized method
by which First Responders can identify qualified utility
restoral technicians and personnel without first contacting a
utility provider who in turn must locate and dispatch employees
to the scene of a disaster. In the event of a major disaster,
CONTINUED
AB 1073
Page
4
response time is critical to saving lives and property. This
bill will create a system by which First Responders can quickly
identify citizens with the skills and training needed to help
restore vital services in the event of a disaster. This bill
will re-establish a standardized Civil Defense Certification
emblem, like one previously used widely in California that can
be affixed to a qualified utility employee's identification card
and/or badge.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 56-17, 5/16/13
AYES: Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Blumenfield,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Cooley, Daly,
Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez,
Gordon, Gorell, Gray, Hall, Roger Hern�ndez, Jones-Sawyer,
Levine, Lowenthal, Medina, Mitchell, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk,
Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner, Ting, Torres, Weber,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NOES: Achadjian, Conway, Dahle, Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Hagman,
Harkey, Jones, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor, Olsen,
Patterson, Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Grove, Holden, Melendez, Morrell,
Stone, Vacancy
MW:m 9/12/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED