BILL ANALYSIS
SB 548
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Date of Hearing: July 11, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Alberto Torrico, Chairman
SB 548 (Hollingsworth) - As Amended: July 5, 2007
SENATE VOTE : 40-0
SUBJECT : California Emergency Services Act
SUMMARY : Continues for a specified period of time the Disaster
Response-Emergency Operations Account in the Special Fund for
Economic Uncertainties. Specifically, this bill
1)Extends the sunset date of the Disaster Response- Emergency
Operations Account in the Special Fund for Economic
Uncertainties from July 1, 2007, to January 1, 2009.
2)Contains an urgency.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides that the Director of the Office of Emergency Services
(OES) is responsible for coordinating the emergency
activities of all state agencies in connection with a state
emergency.
2)Provides within the Emergency Services Act (Act), establishes
the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account (DREOA) in
the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties (SFEU). Moneys in
the DREOA are continuously appropriated subject to specified
limitations for allocation by the Director of the Department
of Finance (DOF) to state agencies for disaster response
operation costs incurred as a result of a proclamation by the
Governor of a state of emergency. Existing law repeals these
provisions on July 1, 2007.
3)Defines a "state of emergency," for purposes of its
provisions, as the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of
disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and
property within the state caused by specified conditions.
4)Providers under current law, the Director of Finance may
allocate funds in the DREOA to reimburse state agencies for
disaster response operation costs incurred during a Governor
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declared state of emergency. The allocations are to cover the
cost of activities that occur within 120 days after a
proclamation of emergency. For disaster response operation
costs, which occur after 120 days, state agencies must seek
appropriations though the annual budget process.
5)Expresses the intent of the Legislature that the DREOA have an
unencumbered balance of $1 million at the beginning of each
fiscal year and if the DREOA requires additional moneys to
meet claims against the account, the Director of Finance
may transfer moneys from the SFEU to the account in an amount
sufficient to pay the amount of claims that exceed the
unencumbered balance in the account.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS :
According to the OES, this bill is necessary because the DREOA
provides the Director of DOF authority to make certain disaster
response allocations. The DREOA, which is established within
the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, has been utilized
to provide an immediate funding source for
extraordinary emergency response costs expended by state (and at
one time local) agencies. This funding source provides the
state an opportunity for a more expeditious response to and
recovery from disasters. In addition, the DREOA provides
flexibility to the Governor as the DREOA could be and has been
used as an expedient alternative to the cumbersome budget
deficit process for necessary disaster related costs to state
agencies.
The authority of the DREOA expired on July 1, 2007. This bill
extends the sunset clause to January 1, 2009.
Prior legislation :
SB 1102 (Hollingsworth) Chapter 561, Statutes of 2005. Extended
the sunset date applicable to the DREOA within the Special Fund
for Economic Uncertainties from January 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007.
SB 1102 (Budget Committee) Chapter 227, Statutes of 2004. Among
other things, this measure continued until January 1, 2006 the
DREOA within the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties and
allocated $1 million to the Account at the beginning of each
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fiscal year.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Department of Finance
Governor's Office of Emergency Services (source)
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Ryan Spencer / G. O. / (916) 319-2531