BILL ANALYSIS
AB 424
Page 1
Date of Hearing: January 12, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS
Mary Hayashi, Chair
AB 424 (Torres) - As Amended: January 7, 2010
SUBJECT : Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act: public education
campaign.
SUMMARY : Establishes an education campaign to instruct the
public on the appropriate use of the 911 emergency telephone
number system (911), as specified. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the office of the State Chief Information Officer
(OCIO) to develop and implement a public education campaign to
instruct the public on appropriate and inappropriate uses of
the 911, which may include any of the following:
a) Education programs designed to help members of the public
distinguish emergencies that require a 911 call from
nonemergencies that can be handled through other types of
requests for information and response;
b) Education programs about alternative systems, such as 211 and
311, that can provide nonemergency assistance to the
public;
c) Education programs designed to help members of the public
understand what information they can provide when calling
911 to assist the 911 relay operator or dispatcher,
including, but not limited to, the caller's phone number,
location, and a brief description of the emergency;
d) Education programs specifically aimed at informing school age
children about the appropriate and inappropriate uses of
911; and,
e) Any other matters that the OCIO deems appropriate or that the
State 911 Advisory Board (advisory board) recommends and
the office approves.
2)Specifies that the costs to develop and implement the public
education campaign shall be undertaken administratively, as
specified, so long as the costs relate directly to 911, and
shall be funded upon an appropriation by the Legislature for
AB 424
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that purpose.
3)Makes legislative findings and declarations.
EXISTING LAW
1)Requires every local public agency to establish and operate an
emergency telephone system using the digits "911" under the
Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act.
2)Establishes the advisory board within the OCIO.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
Previous Committee Action . This bill was heard on April 28,
2009 and was put over for further hearing. The author's office
has amended this bill significantly, narrowing it to establish a
911 public education campaign.
Purpose of this bill . According to the author's office,
"Assemblywoman Torres has worked as a 911 dispatcher for the
past 18 years and is currently on leave from the Los Angeles
Police Department to serve in the Assembly. Her experience is
that many wireless phone users do not understand that their
emergency call using a wireless handset may not provide a
dispatcher with the caller's location automatically and that
they will have to provide their location by voice. Knowing the
capability of the phone [service] to provide location
automatically is crucial, often life-saving information for the
caller and for the dispatcher."
This bill requires the OCIO to develop a public education
campaign to instruct Californians on the appropriate and
inappropriate uses of 911.
Background . On May 10, 2009, the Governor's Information
Technology Reorganization Plan consolidated statewide
information technology functions under OCIO. The Department of
General Services Telecommunications Division became the Public
Safety Communications Division within the OCIO.
The advisory board advises the Public Safety Communications
Division on the following subjects: policies, practices and
AB 424
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procedures for the California 911 Emergency Communications
Office; technical and operational standards for the California
911 system consistent with the National Emergency Number
Association standards; training standards for county
coordinators and Public Safety Answering Point managers; budget,
funding, and reimbursement decisions related to the State
Emergency Number Account; proposed projects and studies
conducted or funded by the State Emergency Number Account; and,
expediting the rollout of Enhanced 911 Phase II technology.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Rebecca May / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301