BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                       AB 489


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          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING


          AB  
          489 (Gonzalez)


          As Introduced  February 23, 2015


          Majority vote


           -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Committee       |Votes |Ayes                   |Noes                |
          |                |      |                       |                    |
          |                |      |                       |                    |
          |----------------+------+-----------------------+--------------------|
          |Public Safety   |7-0   |Quirk, Melendez,       |                    |
          |                |      |Gonzalez,              |                    |
          |                |      |Jones-Sawyer, Lackey,  |                    |
          |                |      |Low, Santiago          |                    |
          |                |      |                       |                    |
          |----------------+------+-----------------------+--------------------|
          |Appropriations  |16-0  |Gomez, Bigelow, Bonta, |                    |
          |                |      |Calderon, Chang, Daly, |                    |
          |                |      |Eggman, Gallagher,     |                    |
          |                |      |Eduardo Garcia,        |                    |
          |                |      |Holden, Jones, Quirk,  |                    |
          |                |      |Rendon, Wagner, Weber, |                    |
          |                |      |Wood                   |                    |
           -------------------------------------------------------------------- 


          SUMMARY:  Adds ocean lifeguards to the list of public safety  
          officers eligible to receive the Public Safety Medal of Valor  
          (PSMOV) for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty,  
          and authorizes a group to be named later to represent ocean  
          lifeguards on the PSMOV Review Board. 








                                                                       AB 489


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          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Provides that the Governor may annually present in the name of  
            the State of California a Medal of Valor to one or more public  
            safety officers cited by the Attorney General (AG) upon the  
            recommendation of the Medal of Valor Review Board (Board) for  
            extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty.  The  
            PSMOV shall be the highest state award for valor given to a  
            public safety officer, which includes any person serving a  
            public service agency, with or without compensation, as a  
            firefighter, a law enforcement officer, including a corrections  
            or court officer or a civil defense officer, or an emergency  
            services officer.  


          2)Creates the "Medal of Valor Review Board," comprised of  
            representatives or their designees, selected by the following  
            organizations:


             a)   California Association of Highway Patrolman;


             b)   California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations;


             c)   California Correctional Peace Officers Association;


             d)   California Peace Officers' Association;


             e)   California Police Chiefs' Association;


             f)   California Professional Firefighters;








                                                                       AB 489


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             g)   California State Firefighters' Association;


             h)   California State Sheriffs' Association;


             i)   California Statewide Law Enforcement Association;


             j)   Peace Officers Research Association of California; and
             aa)  A group representing emergency medical technicians and  
               paramedics, to be selected by the Board.  


          3)Provides that the Board shall be chaired by a member elected by  
            a majority of the members at the first official meeting of the  
            Board each year.  The Board shall meet at the call of the chair.  
             Members shall serve without compensation or reimbursement for  
            travel, per diem, or other expenses, and they shall minimize  
            travel expenses to the greatest extent possible.  Any cost  
            incurred by a member as a result of serving as a member shall  
            not be paid by the state.  


          4)Requires the Board to review applications for the PSMOV to  
            determine which applicants, if any, to recommend to the AG.  Not  
            more than once each year, the Board may present to the AG the  
            names of those persons, if any, it recommends for the PSMOV.  


          5)Authorizes the Board to receive donations to pay for meeting and  
            witness expenses.  Witnesses requested to appear before the  
            Board may be paid no more than the fees paid to witnesses under  
            Code of Civil Procedure.  The per diem and mileage allowance may  
            be paid by funds donated to the Board and shall not be paid by  
            the state.  If donated funds are not available to the Board, the  
          Board shall not hold hearings or have witnesses.  FISCAL EFFECT:  








                                                                       AB 489


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          According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, minor  
          absorbable costs, probably less than $10,000, to the Department of  
          Justice to include ocean lifeguard representatives on the Board,  
          and to include ocean lifeguards on the eligibility list for the  
          PSMOV.


          COMMENTS:  According to the author, "The Public Safety Medal of  
          Valor is the highest state award given to public safety officers  
          for showing 'extraordinary valor beyond the call of duty'.  
          Lifeguards in most jurisdictions in California are classified as  
          public safety officers and they should be eligible to qualify for  
          this award.  Their heroic actions save thousands of lives each  
          year and the dangerous work they perform has led some to pay the  
          ultimate price, yet they cannot be considered for this honor.


          "AB 489 will become more inclusionary of those who risk their  
          lives every day and add ocean lifeguards to the list of eligible  
          public servants alongside firefighters, law enforcement officers,  
          corrections officers and emergency service officers."


          Analysis Prepared by:                                               
          Gregory Pagan / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744  FN: 0000177