Amended  IN  Assembly  April 26, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 296

Introduced by Assembly Member Rodriguez

January 26, 2023

An act to add Article 6.1 (commencing with Section 53123) to Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code, relating to emergency services.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 296, as amended, Rodriguez. Office of Emergency Services: 9-1-1 Public Education Campaign.
Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor. Existing law 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 to people and property.
Existing law, the Warren-911-Emergency Assistance Act, requires every local public agency, as defined, to have an emergency communication system and requires the digits “911” to be the primary emergency telephone number within the system. Existing law requires the office, with the advice and assistance of the Attorney General, to coordinate the implementation of systems, to assist local public agencies and local public safety agencies in obtaining financial help to establish emergency telephone service, and to aid agencies in the formulation of concepts, methods, and procedures that will improve the operation of those systems and that will increase cooperation between public safety agencies.
This bill would establish the 911 Public Education Campaign, to be administered by the office, for the purpose of educating the public on when it is appropriate to call 911 for assistance. The bill would include in the goals of the campaign, among others, reducing the number of unnecessary calls to 911 call centers and reducing delays in the 911 system caused by nonemergency calls being placed. The bill would authorize the office to use federal preparedness grant funds or funds appropriated by the Legislature for these purposes to implement these provisions.
Vote: MAJORITY   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 as follows:
(a) Knowing when to call and when not to call 911 for emergency services can possibly save someone’s life.
(b) Emergency resources are valuable, and knowing how to properly use the 911 emergency service is extremely important.

SEC. 2.

 Article 6.1 (commencing with Section 53123) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code, to read:
Article  6.1. 911 Public Education Campaign

53123.
 (a) The 911 Public Education Campaign is hereby established, to be administered by the Office of Emergency Services, for the purpose of educating the public on when it is appropriate to call 911 for assistance.
(b) The goals of the 911 Public Education Campaign include all of the following:
(1) Raise public awareness of when to call and when not to call 9-1-1. 911.
(2) Reduce the number of unnecessary calls to 911 call centers.
(3) Reduce delays in the 911 system caused by nonemergency 911 calls being placed.
(4) Reduce the frequency of first responder resources being held or delayed at hospital emergency departments as a result of inappropriate 911 calls.
(5) Inform the public about alternatives to 911, including, but not limited to, the 988 hotline.
(c) The Office of Emergency Services may use federal preparedness grant funds or funds appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of this article to implement this article.