Bill Text: CA AB1771 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 1771

Introduced

Bill Title: California Emergency Services Act: State Emergency Plan: extreme heat preparedness and response plan.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB1771 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1771-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1771

Introduced by Committee on Emergency Management (Assembly Members Rodriguez (Chair), Waldron (Vice Chair), Aguiar-Curry, Alvarez, Calderon, Megan Dahle, and Schiavo)

August 28, 2023

An act to add Section 8570.1 to the Government Code, relating to state government, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1771, as introduced, Committee on Emergency Management. California Emergency Services Act: State Emergency Plan: extreme heat preparedness and response plan.

Under existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, the State Emergency Plan is the official document approved by the Governor that describes the principles and methods to be applied in carrying out emergency operations or rendering mutual aid during emergencies, and includes elements addressing continuity of government, the emergency services of governmental agencies, mobilization of resources, mutual aid, and public information. Existing law makes the State Emergency Plan in effect in each political subdivision of the state, and requires the governing body of each political subdivision to take necessary actions to carry out its provisions. Existing law requires the Governor to coordinate the State Emergency Plan and those programs necessary for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency in this state and to coordinate the preparation of plans and programs for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency by the political subdivisions of this state, which are to be integrated into and coordinated with the State Emergency Plan and the plans and programs of the federal government and of other states to the fullest possible extent.

Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services and makes the office responsible for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or man-made disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters on people and property. Existing law requires the office to update the State Emergency Plan on or before January 1, 2019, and every 5 years thereafter.

This bill would require the office, in consultation with the Strategic Growth Council and CaliforniaVolunteers, to develop an extreme heat preparedness and response plan. The bill would require the plan to be an annex to the State Emergency Plan by January 1, 2025. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Scientists project that all of California will be impacted by higher average temperatures and more frequent and life-threatening heat waves, which will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable communities.

(b) California has released the Extreme Heat Action Plan and is investing $300,000,000 to support implementation of the plan.

(c) California launched a two-year, $20,000,000 public awareness and outreach campaign to promote how to stay cool, hydrate, and check on others during periods of extreme heat.

(d) The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is providing $47,000,000 in grants to help schools convert asphalt to green spaces and plant trees and other vegetation in order to add cooler spaces essential to protecting kids from dangerous extreme heat.

(e) California launched the Prepare California Initiative, a grant program aimed at reducing long-term risks from natural disasters, including extreme heat, by investing in local capacity building and mitigation projects designed to protect communities. This program leverages funds approved in the 2021–22 State Budget and is designed to unlock federal matching funds for community mitigation projects that vulnerable communities would otherwise be unable to access.

(f) Supported by a $5,000,000 investment from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will establish two virtual research centers to help communities manage and improve resilience to extreme heat.

(g) The White House Interagency Working Group and National Integrated Heat Health Information System are developing a National Heat Strategy centered on equity and environmental justice.

(h) The Biden-Harris Administration is convening mayors and other local and tribal officials from communities that are currently facing long duration extreme heat events to bolster preparedness.

(i) The Biden-Harris Administration launched Heat.gov, an internet website that provides the public and state, local, and tribal decisionmakers with clear, timely, and science-based information to understand and reduce the health risks of extreme heat.

(j) The Federal Emergency Management Agency launched the #SummerReady Campaign to build awareness of the hazards that communities face during the summer months.

(k) The Biden-Harris Administration launched the 2023 Federal Extreme Heat Safety Campaign to ensure communities are equipped with the information they need during the hottest days.

(l) The Biden-Harris Administration established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity within the United States Department of Health and Human Services to protect the health of people throughout the country in the face of climate change, especially those experiencing a higher share of exposures and impacts.

(m) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched campaigns to map extreme heat and urban heat islands in an additional 154 communities across 14 states, adding to a growing list of over 70 communities where the inequitable distribution of heat has been measured.

(n) The United States Environmental Protection Agency is funding 10 community groups and localities across the country to implement innovative communication strategies designed to help Americans protect themselves against extreme heat risks through their “Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge.”

(o) The United States Department of Health and Human Services deployed $3,850,000,000 for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and helped over 6,000,000 households lower cooling costs for low-income households, open cooling centers, or buy, distribute, or loan efficient air conditioning equipment.

(p) The United States Department of Energy is providing $2,300,000,000 in grants over the next five years to states, territories, and federally recognized tribes to help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of extreme weather, including extreme heat.

(q) The United States Forest Service continues to increase equitable access to trees and green spaces in urban communities where more than 84 percent of Americans live, work, and play, including by making available $1,000,000,000 in grants through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for this purpose.

(r) The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development is announcing more than $830,000,000 for its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, which will upgrade affordable multifamily housing to save residents money, reduce building emissions, and protect residents from climate-driven hazards like extreme heat.

(s) The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced an additional $136,000,000 for its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program to help communities build resilience against extreme heat through innovative infrastructure design and nature-based solutions, among other strategies.

(t) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently opened a $60,000,000 competitive funding opportunity to build a Climate Ready Workforce.

SEC. 2.

Section 8570.1 is added to the Government Code, to read:

8570.1.

(a) The Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with the Strategic Growth Council and CaliforniaVolunteers, shall develop an extreme heat preparedness and response plan.

(b) By January 1, 2025, the extreme heat preparedness and response plan shall be an annex to the State Emergency Plan.

SEC. 3.

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order to protect the health and safety of Californians from extreme heat and rising temperatures, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.