BILL NUMBER: AB 955	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Mathis

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2015

   An act to  amend Section 8680.3 of   add
Section 8687.77 to  the Government Code, relating to disaster
assistance.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 955, as amended, Mathis. Disaster  assistance.
  assistance: droughts: temporary assistance.  

   Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, authorizes
the Office of Emergency Services to establish a model process that
would be made available to assist a community in recovering from an
emergency proclaimed by the Governor and would provide that the
process may consider, among other things, the role of the office to
facilitate the use of temporary services, including, but not limited
to, the provision of potable water.  
   This bill would additionally authorize the office to establish a
model process to address the effects of a drought by providing
temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property
owners. The bill would require the process to consider, among other
things, the role of the office in providing temporary water supplies
for drinking and sanitation to property owners, and to include
provisions that would allow for temporary assistance to property
owners whose income exceed a threshold established by the office, as
specified.  
   Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, defines the
term "disaster" for its purposes as a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave,
earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or other similar public calamity
that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety.
 
   This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this
provision. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no
  yes  . State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    Section 8687.77 is added to the 
 Government Code  , to read:  
   8687.77.  (a) For the purposes of this section, the following
shall apply:
   (1) "Property owner" means the owner of a home, rental housing,
multifamily housing, or small business.
   (2) "Small business" means a business with 25 or few employees.
   (3) "Water supplies" means the purchase and installation of water
storage tanks and associated plumbing and the provision of water
deliveries for drinking and sanitation.
   (b) In addition to any model process established by the Office of
Emergency Services to assist a community pursuant to Section 8687.7,
the office may also establish a model process to address the effects
of a drought by providing temporary water supplies for drinking and
sanitation to property owners consistent with this section.
   (c) The model process shall consist of the following:
   (1) The role of the office in providing temporary water supplies
for drinking and sanitation to property owners, including any
collaboration efforts with a local agency or non-profit organization.

   (2) The establishment of income thresholds above which the office
determines a property owner has adequate resources to remedy the
water quality or water supply problem without temporary assistance
from the state.
   (3) For instances where the property owner's income exceeds the
threshold established in paragraph (2):
   (A) A provision that allows for temporary assistance to be
provided if the property owner agrees to reimburse the full cost of
that temporary assistance.
   (B) For instances where the property owner demonstrates that the
owner cannot afford to reimburse the full cost of that temporary
assistance, a provision that allows the office to provide a loan to
the property owner to cover those temporary assistance costs with an
interest rate that does not exceed 1 percent. The loans shall be made
from any moneys appropriated by the Legislature to the office.
   (C) The method of reimbursement or repayment of any loan,
including the period for reimbursement or repayment, consistent with
the property owner's ability to repay.
   (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as compelling a
property owner to accept any assistance offered by a model process
established pursuant to this section.
   (e) The recipient of any assistance received pursuant to a model
process established pursuant to this section shall agree to hold the
state harmless from any damages due to that assistance.
   (f) The office may adopt as an emergency regulation, in accordance
with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, any regulation it
determines is necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
 
  SECTION 1.    Section 8680.3 of the Government
Code is amended to read:
   8680.3.  "Disaster" means a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave,
earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or any other similar public calamity
that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety.