BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 538
Author: Arambula (D)
Amended: 6/10/09 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/9/09
AYES: Leno, Benoit, Cedillo, Hancock, Huff, Steinberg,
Wright
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 79-0, 5/4/09 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Emergency telephone system: abuse
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill allows any entity that provides
medical services to report a violation of the law
prohibiting the improper use of the 911 system to the
public safety entity that originally received the call.
ANALYSIS : Under existing law, any person who knowingly
allows the use of, or who uses, the 911 telephone system
for any reason other than because of an emergency is guilty
of an infraction.
This bill authorizes an entity that provides emergency
Medi-Cal services to report a violation to the public
CONTINUED
AB 538
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2
safety entity that originally received the call. This bill
requires the public safety entity originally receiving the
call, if the public safety entity has verified that a
violation has occurred, to issue the applicable warnings
and citations, as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/30/09)
California Chapter of the National Emergency Number
Association
California State Sheriffs' Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author:
"This bill is intended to address the problem of
individuals who call 911 to arrange emergency medical
transportation, knowing that they do not have a medical
emergency.
"Existing law addresses the problem of people who call
911 as a prank, to harass, or to make conversation
unrelated to an emergency. However, the law is somewhat
vague in dealing with individuals who claim they are
having an emergency primarily to use the dispatched
emergency transportation as a taxi service."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,
Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
AB 538
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3
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huffman
RJG:mw 6/29/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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