BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2837
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2837 (Hertzberg)
As Amended May 18, 2000
Majority vote
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION 11-0 APPROPRIATIONS 14-7
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|Ayes:|Wesson, Dickerson, |Ayes:|Migden, Alquist, Aroner, |
| |Briggs, Cardoza, Floyd, | |Cedillo, Corbett, Davis, |
| |Longville, Machado, | |Kuehl, Papan, Romero, |
| |Maldonado, Margett, | |Shelley, Thomson, Wesson, |
| |Wiggins, Wright | |Wiggins, Wright |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Campbell, Ackerman, |
| | | |Ashburn, Brewer, |
| | | |Maldonado, Runner, Zettel |
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SUMMARY : Authorizes local public agencies to establish a "311"
nonemergency telephone system designed to serve as the primary
nonemergency telephone number in the state. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Requires the Communications Division (the division) within the
Department of General Services (DGS) to assist public agencies
in the formulation of 311 systems and requires it to establish
and review technical and operational standards for the
development of the public agency systems on or before July 1,
2001. Requires the division to review and update technical
and operational standards each even-numbered year thereafter.
2)Establishes a process whereby local public agencies seeking to
establish a system submit plans to the division for a
determination of whether the plans conform to the minimum
standards established by the division. Requires a public
agency to bring any noncompliant system into compliance within
60 days notice from the division that the system is not in
compliance.
3)Authorizes the Attorney General to commence judicial
proceedings to enforce compliance with 311 system standards.
4)Authorizes a potentially affected agency to request an
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evaluation and requires the division to conduct such an
evaluation when a proposed 311 system may adversely affect an
existing system.
5)Authorizes the existing surcharge imposed on intrastate
telecommunication service to be increased in order to fund the
Statewide Nonemergency Telephone System and authorizes the
increase to be imposed on amounts paid by every person within
the jurisdiction of a public agency with an approved 311
system.
6)Requires DGS to determine annually, on or before September 1,
each increase needed in the surcharge rate that is sufficient
to fund the current fiscal year's 311 costs for each agency
with an approved system. Specifies notification procedures
for the new rate and the increases.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes a pilot program in the Division of
Telecommunications to evaluate methods of reducing the use of
the 911 telephone number for nonemergency assistance.
2)Establishes 911 as the primary emergency telephone number in
the state and requires local and state public safety agencies
to participate in the emergency telephone system.
3)Requires state and local agencies to maintain a secondary
number for nonemergency telephone calls.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis:
1)Estimated special fund costs of about $600,000 in the first
year and about $900,000 thereafter for DGS to establish and
administer the program.
2)Costs to provide the 311 service would depend on the number of
local communities that elect to establish the service, but
could be tens of millions of dollars annually, which would be
covered by the surcharge on telephone users.
COMMENTS : In recent years, California's 911 emergency response
system has experienced a substantial growth in the number of
calls received. This increase in calls to 911 is especially
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alarming to state and local agencies responsible for
implementing the emergency response system because of the high
ratio of nonemergency related calls. Some regional studies
indicate that for every 10 calls placed to 911, at least seven
of the calls are nonemergency related. The result of the
increased call volume is that many callers with legitimate
emergencies experience busy signals or have their calls held by
a recorded message when calling 911.
In response to the increased numbers of nonemergency calls to
the emergency response telephone number, the Legislature passed
and the Governor signed AB 1198 (Hertzberg), Chapter 887,
Statutes of 1997. Chapter 887 provided funding for a pilot
project to evaluate two different approaches to reducing the
number of nonemergency calls: 1) the use of 311 as a means of
reaching local public safety agencies for nonemergency
assistance; and, 2) the improved marketing of the use of, and
access to, existing non-emergency telephone numbers for
non-emergency assistance.
A preliminary draft of the results of the pilot project
indicates that the 311 approach to reducing nonemergency calls
had a greater positive impact on 911 than did the use of
improved marketing of existing nonemergency telephone numbers.
The study also suggested that the Legislature consider whether
focusing resources on other factors, such as emergency call
center staffing, would have a similar beneficial impact on 911.
Analysis Prepared by : Richard Rios / G. O. / (916) 319-2531
FN: 0004880