Bill Text: CA AB524 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 524 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Public utilities: fines and settlements: 2015 Butte Fire.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2018-01-12 - Stricken from file. [AB524 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB524-Amended.html

Amended IN Senate August 28, 2017

Amended IN Assembly June 08, 2017

Amended IN Assembly May 10, 2017

Amended IN Assembly April 18, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 524

Introduced by Assembly Member Bigelow
(Principal coauthor: Senator Berryhill)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Dahle and Obernolte)

February 13, 2017

An act relating to public utilities, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 524, as amended, Bigelow. Public utilities: fines and settlements: 2015 Butte Fire.

Existing law establishes the Public Utilities Commission and vests the commission with regulatory jurisdiction and authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law places various responsibilities upon the commission to ensure that public utility services are provided in a manner that protects the public safety and the safety of utility employees.

This bill would appropriate moneys resulting from 2 specified citations, issued by the Public Utilities Commission to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for violations relating to the 2015 Butte Fire, to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to be expended for the department’s program known as the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and Tree Mortality Grant Program.

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

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

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

SECTION 1.

Moneys received by the Public Utilities Commission as a result of Citation D.16-09-055 E.17-04-001 and Citation D.16-09-005 E.17-04-002, issued on April 25, 2017, shall be transferred to the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and are hereby appropriated to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to be expended for the department’s program known as the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and Tree Mortality Grant Program.

SEC. 2.

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:

To ensure sufficient funds are provided to the program known as the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund and Tree Mortality Grant Program, administered by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to reduce the risk of wildfire threats to habitable structures, it is necessary for this measure to take effect immediately.