BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2331
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 7, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Cameron Smyth, Chair
AB 2331 (Skinner) - As Introduced: February 19, 2010
SUBJECT : Local government: employees: firefighters.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the immediate removal of a firefighter's
name, who has notified the California Firefighter Joint
Apprenticeship Program (Program) of his or her employment or
reemployment, from the list of permanent career civilian
federal, state, and local government firefighters eligible for
appointment to a firefighter position by a local government.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes a local government, when hiring new firefighters,
to give hiring preference to
any permanent career firefighter employed by the state or a
local government within the state or to any permanent career
civilian federal firefighter serving at any United States
military installation who was terminated as a consequence of a
base downsizing, realignment, or closure.
2)Authorizes the Program to administer, prepare, and circulate
to local governments a list of permanent career civilian
federal, state, and local government firefighters eligible for
appointment to a firefighter position.
3)Specifies this appointment authority takes precedence over any
provision of a charter, ordinance, or resolution that governs
employment of firefighters.
4)Prohibits local governments from using this appointment
authority if a special reemployment list exists for the
firefighter position to be filled.
5)Requires local governments to give first priority to residents
of the hiring jurisdiction and second priority to residents of
the county when using this appointment authority.
6)Specifies a local government is not required to hire a person
into a position that guarantees the same seniority,
privileges, or rank as their previously held position.
AB 2331
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FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)The Program, established in 1980, is a non-profit program
sponsored and administered by the
State Fire Marshal and the California Professional Firefighters.
The Program is designed to improve the quality and quantity
of training for professional firefighters, and to provide an
avenue of entry into the California Fire Service for
qualified, underrepresented and targeted groups, without
lowering standards.
2)The hiring list was established in 1997 [SB 538 (Greene),
Chapter 73, Statutes of 1997]
as a response to federal military base closures. The intent of
SB 538 was to address unemployment from base closures and to
spare local agencies the expense of new fire personnel when
they might instead hire qualified former federal personnel.
In 1999
[SB 258 (Ortiz), Chapter 305, Statutes of 1999], local agencies
were authorized to give hiring preference to these career
civilian federal firefighters on the list. The list was
expanded in 2004 [AB 1929 (Samuelian), Chapter 126, Statutes
of 2004] to include recently displaced state and local
government permanent career firefighters. AB 1929 also
granted special hiring consideration to these recently
displaced permanent career fire service personnel.
3)The sponsor, California Professional Firefighters, states the
Program's hiring list has allowed fire departments to save
time, as well as money with regard to the hiring process. It
also has given federal, state and local government
firefighters the ability to continue working in their chosen
fire service career. Current law requires the Program to keep
an eligible displaced firefighter's name on the hiring list
for at least 48 months, even if a firefighter has been hired
by a prospective fire department prior to that date.
Consequently, the sponsor says, there is a need to amend the
law to enable the Program to remove a firefighter's name from
the hiring list upon notification that the firefighter has
obtained new employment or been reemployed. Doing so will
ensure the list is current for any prospective fire department
AB 2331
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that may want to refer to it as a hiring resource.
4)Support Arguments : Supporters of AB 2331 say updating the
Program's list to remove firefighters who have found
employment would make the list more accurate, providing local
governments with an even stronger resource. Ensuring the
Program's list is up-to-date also encourages government
efficiency.
5)Opposition Arguments : The Legislature may wish to consider
whether the state should be spending more money to keep the
Program's list updated at a time when state funds are at a
premium.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Professional Firefighters [SPONSOR]
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer R. Klein / L. GOV. / (916)
319-3958