BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Tom Torlakson, Chairman

                                           384 (Portantino)
          
          Hearing Date:  7/16/07          Amended: 7/5/07
          Consultant:  Maureen Ortiz      Policy Vote: P. E. & R.  4-0
                                                                            
                                    Education: 7-0
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
          BILL SUMMARY:   AB 384 provides college tuition fee waivers and  
          health benefits to survivors of federal firefighters who reside  
          in California and are killed while performing firefighting  
          services.
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2007-08      2008-09       2009-10     Fund
                                                                  
          Tuition waiver              ----unknown, probably less than $25  
          annually--          General

          Health benefits             ----unknown, probably less than $50  
          annually----       General
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: 
          AB 384 provides that surviving spouses and children of  
          firefighters employed by the federal government who were  
          residents of this state, whose regular duty was to provide  
          firefighting services in this state, and who died while  
          performing that duty the following benefits:

             1)   waivers to pay mandatory system-wide fees and tuition at  
               the UC, CSU and community colleges, and
             2)   state provided health benefit coverage through CalPERS  
               under the Public Employees Medical and Hospital Care Act.

          Exact costs will depend on the number of eligible survivors of  
          federal firefighters who are killed while performing services in  
          California.  There are approximately, on average, two fallen  
          firefighters each year in California.  Assuming there were four  
          surviving spouses with children who receive health benefits,  










          costs would be approximately $50,000 annually.  Assuming four  
          survivors attended UC, the tuition fee waiver would amount to  
          about $25,600, or if they chose to attend the CSU, costs would  
          be $5,600 annually.  

          Last year, five federal employees died while fighting the  
          Esperanza fire in Riverside County.  The survivors of those  
          individuals will not receive the benefits that are available to  
          other Californians who have died in a similar line of duty.   
          Existing law enables a spouse or child, natural or adopted, or  
          stepchild of a firefighter killed in the line of duty to receive  
          a public postsecondary educational fee waiver, and provides for  
          a state-funded program to assist survivors in purchasing medical  
          and dental benefits.  AB 384 will provide benefits that will  
          supplement, not supplant, any federal benefits, and makes  
          survivors ineligible for the mandatory tuition and fee waiver if  
          obtaining those benefits will result in a reduction or  
          elimination of a federal educational assistance program.