BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1347|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1347
Author: Nielsen (R), et al.
Amended: 4/19/16
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 4/12/16
AYES: Pavley, Stone, Allen, Hertzberg, Hueso, Jackson,
Monning, Vidak, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT: Fire prevention fee: administration
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill extends the sunset date on the annual report
that the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is required
to submit to the Legislature detailing the expenditure of fee
money collected to administer fire prevention activities in
State Responsibility Areas. The sunset date is extended from
January 31, 2017 to January 31, 2022.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the State Responsibility Area (SRA) in which the
primary financial responsibility of preventing and suppressing
fires primarily rests with the state.
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2)Allows a fire prevention fee to be collected to fund fire
prevention activities administered by the Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) within a SRA.
3)Requires CDF to submit an annual report to the Legislature
until January 31, 2017 that describes SRA fire prevention fee
expenditures.
This bill extends the sunset on the annual report from January
31, 2017 to January 31, 2022.
Background
In July 2011, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed
Assembly Bill X1 29 (Blumenfield, Chapter 8, Statutes of 2011,
First Extraordinary Session) that established the SRA fire
prevention fee. A SRA is defined as an area of the state in
which the financial responsibility of preventing and suppressing
fires primarily rests with the state. The fee is used to pay for
fire prevention services within the SRA. The fee is applied to
all habitable structures within the SRA and generates on average
$74 million per year.
Effective July 1, 2014, the fee is levied at the rate of $152.33
per habitable structure, which is defined as a building that can
be occupied for residential use. Owners of habitable structure
who are also within the boundaries of a local fire protection
agency will receive a reduction of $35 per habitable structure.
Just over 98% of all fee payers throughout the state receive
this fee reduction.
According to CDF, the fire prevention fee funds a variety of
important fire prevention services in the SRA. Such activities
include fuel reduction projects that lessen the risk of wildfire
to communities, evacuation routes, and infrastructure. Other
activities include defensible space inspections, fire prevention
engineering, emergency evacuation planning, fire prevention
education, fire hazard severity mapping, implementation of the
state and local Fire Plans, and fire-related law enforcement
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activities such as arson investigation.
An annual report on SRA fire fee expenditures is required by
law. The sunset date on these reports is January 31, 2017. In a
recent informational report from last year, CDF summarized
expenditures for the three fiscal years 2012-15. That report is
available on the CDF Web site. For the most recent year, total
expenditures for fire prevention activities were $76.9 million
and total administrative costs were $16.0 million. Approximately
20% of total expenditures went toward paying administrative
costs.
This bill was amended in the Senate Natural Resources and Water
Committee to remove a provision that restricted administrative
costs to only five percent of total SRA fire prevention fee
expenditures.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified 5/18/16)
California Fire Chiefs Association
Central Coast Forest Association
Fire Districts Association of California
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Rural County Representatives of California
OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/18/16)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, the reporting
sunset should be extended "so that the Legislature may continue
receiving this valuable information for a least five additional
years."
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Concerns with how the SRA fee money is spent prompted this bill.
According to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, "this
Legislature owes it to taxpayers to ensure that the revenue
raised is spent in the most prudent way possible."
Prepared by:Matthew Dumlao / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116
5/18/16 16:28:07
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