BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 2459 (Torres) - Local emergency telephone systems:
appropriate use.
Amended: As Introduced Policy Vote: E,U&C 9-3
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: July 2, 2012 Consultant: Bob Franzoia
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 2459 would require the California 911 Emergency
Communications Office to develop and implement a public
education campaign to instruct the public on appropriate and
inappropriate uses of the 911 emergency telephone system.
Fiscal Impact: $835,000 in 2012-12 from the State Emergency
Telephone Number Account to design the campaign ($750,000) and
personnel ($85,000).
$1.37 million annually thereafter for advertising costs
($1.2 million) and personnel ($170,000).
Unknown potential savings from a more efficiently operated
911 emergency telephone system.
Background: Under current law, local governments (and the
California Highway Patrol) respond to calls made to the 911
emergency telephone system. The California Technology Agency
(agency) oversees the development and operation of the system.
California residents pay a surcharge based on the amount paid
for all intrastate telephone calls. The surcharge is set by the
agency, and must be between 0.5 percent and 0.75 percent of the
billed amount. Currently, the surcharge is set at 0.5 percent.
Revenues generated from the surcharge are used to pay for state
oversight costs, paying for 911 database and networks costs,
local government equipment costs, and local public education
campaigns.
This bill, unlike a previous bill, does not specify that the
costs of the campaign are to be considered allowable
administrative costs of the surcharge.
This analysis estimates $750,000 in one-time costs to design the
campaign, $1.2 million annually in advertising costs, and
AB 2459 (Torres)
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$170,000 per year in staff costs to oversee the campaign. Other
analyses have estimated moderately to significantly higher
costs.
Proposed Law: This bill requires the California 911Emergency
Communications Office to develop and implement a public
education campaign to instruct the public on appropriate and
inappropriate uses of the 911 system. This bill, unlike a
previous bill, does not specify subject areas that the campaign
may include, such as the difference between emergency calls and
non-emergency calls, information that callers should provide to
911 dispatchers, and education specifically directed towards
children.
Related Legislation: This bill is similar to AB 424 (Torres)
2010, which was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger with the
following message:
This bill would require the Office of the Chief Information
Officer (OCIO) to develop and implement a public education
campaign regarding the appropriate and inappropriate uses of the
911 emergency telephone system. This measure is unnecessary
inasmuch as the OCIO already has the authority to establish a
statewide education program. More importantly, however, is that
I cannot condone the estimated expenditure of $2.1 million
dollars on a public awareness campaign that is duplicative of
other efforts in a time of fiscal crisis.
For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.
Staff Comments: It isn't clear if or how the effectiveness of a
public education campaign will be determined.
Staff notes that according to the governor's budget proposal,
expenditures in the State Emergency Telephone Number Account are
projected to total about $123.5 million in 2011-12, while
revenues will total only $81.2 million. This operating
shortfall is covered by a $15.3 million carryover balance in the
account plus repayment of a $28 million loan made from the
account to the General Fund as part of the 2010-11 Budget Act.
The account is projected to have a balance of only $1million as
of June 30, 2013. Some increase in the surcharge rate will
likely be necessary to address the apparent structural imbalance
in the fund in addition to funding the costs of this bill.
AB 2459 (Torres)
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Recommended Amendments: Staff recommends this bill be amended to
sunset the public education campaign on January 1, 2014 thereby
allowing two years for startup, implementation and public
education.