BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 548|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 548
Author: Hollingsworth (R)
Amended: 6/4/07
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE : 7-0, 3/27/07
AYES: Florez, Denham, Battin, Maldonado, Wiggins, Wyland,
Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Negrete McLeod, Vincent
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 16-0, 5/31/07
AYES: Torlakson, Cox, Aanestad, Ashburn, Cedillo, Corbett,
Dutton, Florez, Kuehl, Oropeza, Ridley-Thomas, Runner,
Simitian, Steinberg, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Battin
SUBJECT : California Emergency Services Act
SOURCE : Governors Office of Emergency Services
DIGEST : This bill extends the sunset date of the
Disaster Response- Emergency Operations Account in the
Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties from July 1, 2007,
to January 1, 2013. Makes a change to the current
definition of "state of emergency" relative to the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and related
conditions that are not to be included under what
constitutes a state of emergency within that definition.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides that the Director of the
CONTINUED
SB 548
Page
2
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 (Act),
establishes the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations
Account (DREOA) in the Special Fund for Economic
Uncertainties (SFEU). Moneys in the DREOA 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.
The Act defines a "state of emergency," for purposes of its
provisions, as the duly proclaimed existence of conditions
of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons
and property within the state caused by specified
conditions.
This bill specifies that these conditions do not include
conditions in the state's prisons, medical facilities, or
youth correctional facilities resulting solely from the
actions or inaction of the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation in administering those facilities.
Background
According to the OES, this bill 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 bill
SB 548
Page
3
extends the sunset clause to January 1, 2013.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2007-08 2008-09
2009-10 Fund
Sunset extension $0 to $1,000 or more in
any year General
Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature that
the DREOA have an unencumbered balance of $1 million at the
beginning of each fiscal year and if the DREOA requires
additional moneys to meet claims against the account, the
Director of DOF may transfer moneys from the SFEU to the
account in an amount sufficient to pay the amount of claims
that exceed the unencumbered balance in the account.
The fiscal impact of the bill would be the difference in
any year between what the Director of DOF allocates and
what the Legislature appropriates in the annual budget act.
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/1/07)
Governor's Office of Emergency Services (source)
Department of Finance
TSM:mw 6/4/07 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****