California Professional Firefighters

2012 CPF Legislative Package

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CPF LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP
As of September 2, 2012

2012 CPF-Sponsored and Co-Sponsored Legislation Approved by the Legislature now Awaiting the Governor’s Action

Governor has until September 30th to Sign or Veto Bills

• SB 488 (Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana) – Presents strict approval and disclosure requirements for individuals or groups when utilizing public safety -- firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, etc. -- logos, insignias or emblems in campaign mail pieces. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 31th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 1606 (Henry Perea, D-Fresno) - Clarifies current law so that during a collective bargaining impasse, an employee organization can request a “fact-finding procedure” prior to any proposed settlement of new employment terms. Applies in those instances where arbitration, as a locally-adopted alternative dispute resolution process, does not exist. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 13th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 1687 (Paul Fong, D-Mountain View) - Communications about a delay, modification or overall denial of Worker’s Compensation treatment would be required to include prominently-displayed alternatives for the injured worker’s next steps in objecting such decisions. In addition, if a related medical treatment dispute arises, and enforcement of a future medical award is required for continuing an injured worker’s treatment, this bill allows the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) to award reasonably-incurred attorney's fees in instances where the injured worker prevails in validating their medical award. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 30th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 1885 (Susan Bonilla, D-Martinez) - This bill ensures that if a firefighter is laid off by a public agency, like a CalPERS’ contracting agency, due to cuts in budget or staffing and then is re-hired within one year by a ’37 Act county, the county retirement system will have the additional time needed to ensure that the re-hired firefighter’s previous public employment service is in fact kept whole in that county system for reciprocity purposes. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 20th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 2298 (Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana) - With the pressures of daily details on the rise, this bill ensures that any member of the CHP, a firefighter or peace officer cannot be held financially responsible in the event that they are involved in an accident with their private vehicle when operated on behalf of or at the direction of their employer for work-related purposes. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 30th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 2389 (Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach) - Gives consumers a clearer picture of the relationship between the worker who shows up at the front door and the company that sent them there. This bill requires that work uniforms and vehicles clearly identify the actual employer. California’s fire service understands the importance of living up to its image and reputation. All service providers who seek to convey an image through the use of a uniform or vehicle must have some accountability to that image.
DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 28th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• AB 2451 (John Perez, D-Los Angeles) - If a firefighter sustains a specified industrial illness, such as cancer, an infectious blood-borne disease, including MRSA, or Tuberculosis, which takes more than 240 weeks from the date of diagnosis to become fatal, this bill extends the window of time – to 480 weeks from date of diagnosis -- in which a related Workers’ Compensation death benefits claim may be filed. DISPOSITION: Approved by the Legislature on Aug. 28th.
See how your legislator voted:
-Senate Floor Vote
-Assembly Floor Vote

• ACR 150 (Marty Block, D- San Diego) - Designates the week of June 4th 2012 as “Fire Safety Awareness and Disaster Preparedness Week.” DISPOSITION: Unanimously Approved by the Legislature and Chaptered into Law. Because this measure is a resolution, it does not require the Governor’s signature to become law.

2012 CPF-Sponsored and Co-Sponsored Legislation Held in the Legislature

• AB 1245 (Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara) – This bill would have authorized the state Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) to promulgate regulations establishing a course of instruction for an Emergency Medical Responder, but prohibits the agency from establishing a new category of EMS personnel or a related scope of practice for EMR. DISPOSITION: This bill was initially introduced in response to EMSA’s attempt to promulgate regulations that weren’t favorable to CPF members. The Administration has indicated that it won’t allow such regulations to move forward until they are favorable, so, this bill was held in the Legislature.

• AB 1320 (Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa) – Sought to create a program to remove the volatility of employer contribution rates to the retirement system. The bill would have required employers to remit an amount to a retirement system not less than the normal cost of benefits, which can only be reduced or altered if sufficient funds have accumulated in the employer’s rate stabilization account. DISPOSITION: The issue contained in this bill was amended into the broader pension reform bill, AB 340, which was approved by lawmakers in the final week of the legislative session. As such, the contents of AB 1320 were amended out and the bill was used as a vehicle addressing an un-related, district issue of importance to Assemblyman Allen.

• AB 1387 (Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana) – This bill would have created a new standard acknowledging all points of ALS transportation rights (“201 Rights”), thereby reinforcing the established operational procedures between local fire departments and their neighborhood EMS agencies. DISPOSITION: This issue did not move forward due to a lack of agreement among stakeholders. The bill was later amended and used by Assemblyman Solorio as a vehicle for an un-related issue.

• AB 1692 (Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont) - This bill would have created a set of stringent requirements examined by a neutral evaluator to help protect local governments from having to file bankruptcy. New municipal bankruptcy protections were passed just last year via the enactment of CPF’s co-sponsored bill, AB 506, but this year’s bill sought to tackle some of the more current fiscal issues, like revenue shortfalls and growing deficits, which are plaguing California’s struggling cities. DISPOSITION: This issue did not move forward due to a lack of legislative agreement.