BILL ANALYSIS
AB 671
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 28, 2009
Chief Counsel: Gregory Pagan
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Jose Solorio, Chair
AB 671 (Krekorian) - As Amended: April 14, 2009
As Proposed to be Amended in Committee
SUMMARY : Requires the Governor to annually present A Golden
Shield Award, of appropriate design, to the next of kin or
immediate family of every public safety officer who, while
serving under competent authority in any capacity, has been
killed in the line of duty in that year.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides that the Governor may annually present in the name of
the State of California a Medal of Valor to one or more public
safety officers cited by the Attorney General (AG) upon the
recommendation of the Medal of Valor Review Board for
extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty. The
Public Safety Medal of Valor will be the highest state award
for valor given to public safety officers. (Government Code
Section 3402.)
2)Creates the "Medal of Valor Review Board", comprised of
representatives or their designees, selected by the following
organizations:
a) California Peace Officers' Association;
b) California Correctional Peace Officers Association;
c) California State Firefighters' Association;
d) Peace Officers Research Association of California;
e) California Police Chiefs' Association;
f) California Association of Highway Patrolmen;
g) California State Sheriffs' Association;
AB 671
Page 2
h) California Union of Safety Employees; and,
i) A group representing emergency medical technicians and
paramedics, to be selected by the Board. (Government Code
Section 3403.)
3)Provides that the Board shall meet at the Chair, and may not
meet more than once each year. A majority of the members of
the board shall constitute a quorum to conduct business, and
may establish by majority vote any other rule for the conduct
of the Board's business. [Government Code Section 3405 (a)
and (b).]
4)Requires the Board to recommend candidates for the Medal of
Valor, once per year, to the AG. In a given year, the Board
shall not be required to recommend any candidates but may not
recommend more than five candidates. [Government Code Section
3404(c).]
5)Authorizes the Board to receive donations which shall be used
to pay any costs associated with holding its annual meeting
and having witnesses, and requires the cost of production of
the medals to be funded from existing resources within the
Department of Justice. (Government Code Section 3405.)
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Each year, between 140 and
160 officers are killed in the line of duty and their families
and loved ones are left to cope with the tragic loss.
"Already in 2009, six officers have been killed on the job -
more than any other state. Last year, 13 officers were killed
on patrol in California, second only to Texas, where 14 died in
2008. Scores more are injured every day and year, creating a
vast pool of sorrow in which surviving family members and
friends are left without a proper way to honor their fallen
loved ones.
"Despite the persistent dangers inherent in their job, public
safety officers in California do not yet have a state-wide
honorific to recognize the deceased who have given their lives
to their job.
AB 671
Page 3
"The California Golden Shield Act would authorize the Governor,
for the first time in the state's history, to honor public
safety officers killed in the line of duty by presenting in the
name of the State of California, a Golden Shield Award, to the
next of kin of or immediate family members.
"This is a fitting acknowledgement for our public safety
officers who have given their all to keep California's citizens
safe. This bill will be an honor that no law enforcement
officer wants to receive, but one that deserves to be given."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
California Correctional Supervisors Organization
Los Angeles Probation Officers Union
Riverside Sheriffs Association
Opposition
None
Analysis Prepared by : Gregory Pagan / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744