BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1212
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB
1212 (Hueso)
As Amended August 15, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 35-3
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Utilities |15-0 |Gatto, Patterson, | |
| | |Burke, Chávez, Dahle, | |
| | |Eggman, Cristina | |
| | |Garcia, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Hadley, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Roger Hernández, | |
| | |Obernolte, Quirk, | |
| | |Santiago, Ting, | |
| | |Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+-------------------|
|Appropriations |15-0 |Gonzalez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, | |
| | |Chang, Eggman, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Jones, | |
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| | |Obernolte, Quirk, | |
| | |Santiago, Weber, Wood, | |
| | |McCarty | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC) to expend up to $1.5 million from the California
Teleconnect Fund (CTF) Administrative Committee Fund to help
close 2-1-1 service gaps. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes the CPUC, if it determines that doing so is an
appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, to expend
up to $1.5 million from the CTF Administrative Committee Fund
to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties lacking access to
disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and
referral services, where technically feasible, through
available 2-1-1 service.
2)Authorizes 2-1-1 California to apply for use of the funds in
the counties that lack 2-1-1 services.
3)Specifies, if the CPUC determines that doing so is an
appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers that the
costs may include implementation of a coordinated database
that is owned by a city or county to provide referrals to help
with nonemergency aspects of disaster planning, recovery, and
response.
4)Sunsets the provisions of this bill on January 1, 2023.
5)States the intent of the Legislature to facilitate the
expansion of 2-1-1 services into those counties in California
where they are lacking and to support a comprehensive
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statewide database that will connect all callers to the
information and referrals they need.
6)States the intent of the Legislature to facilitate access to
disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information, and
referral services, uniformly in the state, especially in
hard-to-serve rural areas, through a universally available
2-1-1 telephone service.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would have costs of up to $1.5 million,
over five years, to assist California 2-1-1 with efforts to
close service gaps. The CPUC indicates they do not have prior
expertise with funding third party entities and would need to
develop a new administrative process to administer these funds.
The CPUC estimates annual administrative costs of approximately
$131,000 to fund one position to administer the program.
COMMENTS:
1)Author's Statement: According to the author, "When an
earthquake or natural disaster strikes, many Californians rely
on the services that 2-1-1 California provides them, such as
information regarding evacuations, return routes, access to
food and water, traffic closures and safe zones. However,
there are 21 counties in this state that currently lack this
service [?] This bill will lay the groundwork for statewide
coordination and funding to ensure all residents of California
can access this critical service regardless of the region from
which they are calling."
2)Background: 2-1-1 is a nationally designated three digit
number used for accessing community information and referral
providers. In addition, during emergency or disaster
situations, 2-1-1 serves as a public information hub, in which
callers may call for information on shelters, food
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distribution, evaluations, road closures, etc. Furthermore,
2-1-1 provides contact information and access to many service
hotlines, such as poison control, suicide prevention, child
and adult abuse, domestic violence, shelter, etc.
Thirty-seven counties in California have 2-1-1 information and
referral providers. Ten counties have 2-1-1 services in
development. Eleven counties do not have 2-1-1 services,
including Del Norte, Modoc, Trinity, Lake, Sierra, Amador,
Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Madera, and Inyo County. In
2015, counties with 2-1-1 received approximately 1.6 million
2-1-1 calls.
3)2-1-1 California: 2-1-1 California is a statewide network of
2-1-1 information and referral providers. In California,
2-1-1 is operated by private non-profit community service
organizations, local governments, or local affiliates of the
national organization of the United Way of America.
Currently, most counties with 2-1-1- services were funded
through partnerships between local health and human service
agencies and nonprofits. The CPUC is tasked with authorizing
one qualified local agency or information and referral center
in a county to use the 2-1-1 dialing code.
4)California Teleconnect Fund: The CTF was created by the CPUC
in 1996 to foster the development of a telecommunications
infrastructure for California and reduce the digital divide.
The program provides a 50% discount on select
telecommunications and Internet access services to qualifying
entities. The program is funded by a surcharge on all end
users of intrastate telecommunications services. As of
October 2015, the CTF surcharge is at 1.080% on all
telecommunications end users.
This bill authorizes the CPUC, if it determines that doing so
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is an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, to
expend up to $1.5 million from the CTF Administrative
Committee Fund to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties
lacking access to disaster preparedness, response, and
recovery information and referral services, where technically
feasible, through available 2-1-1 services. This bill
authorizes 2-1-1 California to apply for use of the funds in
the counties that lack 2-1-1 services. In addition, this bill
specifies that the costs may include implementation of a
coordinated database that is owned by a city or county to
provide referrals to help with nonemergency aspects of
disaster planning, recovery, and response.
Analysis Prepared by:
Edmond Cheung / U. & C. / (916) 319-2083 FN:
0004222