BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1567|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1567
Author: Jeffries (R)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/12/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 4/12/12 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Drivers licenses: firefighter endorsement
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill eliminates the requirement to submit a
report of medical examination to qualify for a firefighter
endorsement on ones drivers license, and instead requires
the submission of self-reported medical information upon
application for the endorsement and every two years
thereafter.
ANALYSIS : In order to operate a motor vehicle upon a
highway, existing law requires a person to hold a valid
driver's license appropriate for the type of vehicle he/she
is operating. Existing law generally requires drivers to
hold a Class A or B license to operate larger and
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commercial vehicles, while most drivers hold a Class C
license, typically used to operate passenger cars and
pick-up trucks.
To operate firefighting equipment, such as fire trucks,
hook and ladder trucks, or other vehicles used in response
to emergencies, a firefighter may either have a Class A or
B driver's license, or a Class C license with a firefighter
endorsement. To qualify for a firefighter endorsement,
existing law requires the driver to do all of the
following:
Provide proof of current employment as a firefighter or
registration as a volunteer firefighter;
Provide evidence of fire equipment operation training;
Pass the written firefighter examination; and
Submit a report of medical examination, specifically a
Physician's Health Report, dated within four years of the
application.
In 2010, the Legislature passed AB 1648 (Jeffries), Chapter
360, which reformed how the state licenses firefighters.
Before AB 1648, in order to operate firefighting equipment
in response to emergencies a driver had to either have a
Class A or B license or a restricted firefighter license,
which was similar to the Class A or B license but
restricted to the operation of firefighting equipment.
Individuals with either Class A, B, or restricted
firefighter licenses were required to take a driving test
at either a branch office of the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) or at third-party testing stations; after AB
1648, firefighters can earn their firefighter endorsements
to their Class C licenses by completing a firefighting
course and without taking a driving test. Further, before
AB 1648, applicants for a restricted firefighter driver's
license were only required to submit medical information in
the form of a self-certifying health questionnaire or
medical examination report. Since January 1, 2011,
applicants for a firefighter endorsement are required to
submit a Physician's Health Report, which is a document
similar to the self-certifying health questionnaire but
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that requires a physician's signature.
This bill eliminates the requirement to submit a report of
medical examination to qualify for a firefighter
endorsement, and instead requires the submission of
self-certified medical information upon application for the
endorsement and every two years thereafter.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill removes
unnecessary regulatory red tape and saves fire departments
money and time. The author's office contends that AB 1648
(2010), through reforming how the state provides driver's
licenses for firefighters, reduced the cost and workload of
both local fire departments and the DMV with the exception
of one requirement. The new firefighter endorsement
process, the author's office claims, unnecessarily includes
a drastic modification to the medical requirement needed by
firefighters to receive their necessary driver's license.
The author's office concludes that this modification
created an additional $50 to $100 cost per firefighter for
already cash-strapped departments while providing no more
information to the DMV than the previous self-certifying
process.
Issues . This bill raises a number of issues, including the
following:
According to data compiled by the California Highway
Patrol, there are roughly 350 to 450 collisions statewide
involving fire trucks each year, with more than 80% of
these collisions only involving property damage. While
the data does not include reasons for these accidents, it
seems unlikely many of them are related to the health of
the fire truck drivers. While the data varies from year
to year, it does not seem to indicate any improvement
from the stricter medical requirements. It is unclear
whether these stricter requirements have or will lead to
any demonstrable reductions in accidents.
While the DMV has no official position on the bill, it
has not been able to provide any statistical evidence
that the higher medical requirement enacted by AB 1648
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has improved outcomes. Further, DMV indicates that it
has no operational concerns with the increased frequency
of the medical information submission required by this
bill.
Proponents, primarily rural fire districts, indicate that
the current medical reporting requirement is costly and
burdensome. They also indicate that they see no real
benefit from requiring firefighters to obtain a
physician's signature on a questionnaire they would
otherwise sign themselves under penalty of perjury. To
the proponents, the increased requirements in AB 1648
simply added to the overwhelming regulatory challenges
that small, local, rural, and all volunteer fire
departments face.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/26/12)
Regional Council of Rural Counties
Trinity County Fire Chief's Association
Trinity County Board of Supervisors
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 4/12/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey,
Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue, Ma, Mansoor,
Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen,
Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
Wagner, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Cedillo, Cook, Fletcher, Garrick,
Gordon, Bonnie Lowenthal, Morrell, Norby, Wieckowski
JJA:m 6/26/12 Senate Floor Analyses
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SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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