BILL ANALYSIS
Bill No: SB
548
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Dean Florez, Chair
2007-2008 Regular Session
Staff Analysis
SB 548 Author: Hollingsworth
As Introduced: February 22, 2007
Hearing Date: March 27, 2007
Consultant: Art Terzakis
SUBJECT
Emergency Services
DESCRIPTION
SB 548 is an urgency measure that extends the sunset date
of the Disaster Response- Emergency Operations Account
(DREOA) in the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties from
July 1, 2007, to January 1, 2013.
EXISTING LAW
Existing law provides that the Director of the Office of
Emergency Services (OES) is responsible for coordinating
the emergency activities of all state agencies in
connection with a state emergency.
Existing law, within the Emergency Services Act,
establishes the DREOA in the Special Fund for Economic
Uncertainties. Moneys in the account are continuously
appropriated subject to specified limitations for
allocation by the Director of the Department of Finance
(DOF) to state agencies for disaster response operation
costs incurred as a result of a proclamation by the
Governor of a state of emergency. Existing law repeals
these provisions on July 1, 2007.
PRIOR LEGISLATION
SB 1102 (Hollingsworth) Chapter 561, Statutes of 2005.
SB 548 (Hollingsworth) continued
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Extended the sunset date applicable to the DREOA within the
Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties from January 1,
2006 to July 1, 2007.
SB 1102 (Budget Committee) Chapter 227, Statutes of 2004.
Among other things, this measure continued until January 1,
2006 the DREOA within the Special Fund for Economic
Uncertainties and allocated $1 million to the Account at
the beginning of each fiscal year.
BACKGROUND
According to the Office of Emergency Services (OES), this
measure is necessary because the DREOA provides the
Director of DOF authority to make certain disaster response
allocations. The DREOA, which is established within the
Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, has been utilized
to provide an immediate funding source for extraordinary
emergency response costs expended by state (and at one time
local) agencies. This funding source provides the state an
opportunity for a more expeditious response to and recovery
from disasters. In addition, the DREOA provides
flexibility to the Governor as the DREOA could be and has
been used as an expedient alternative to the cumbersome
budget deficit process for necessary disaster related costs
to state agencies.
The DREOA is scheduled to sunset July 1, 2007. This
measure would extend the sunset clause to January 1, 2013.
Staff Comments: Please note that Legislative Counsel's
Digest has been drafted incorrectly. The digest reflects
that "existing provisions are repealed as of July 1, 2013
and that this bill would extend the repeal date to January
1, 2007."
SUPPORT: As of March 22, 2007:
Governor's Office of Emergency Services (sponsor)
AFSCME
OPPOSE: None on file as of March 22, 2007.
FISCAL COMMITTEE: Senate Appropriations Committee
SB 548 (Hollingsworth) continued
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