BILL NUMBER: ACR 38ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 6, 2011 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 9, 2011 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal MARCH 14, 2011 Relative to the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 38, Bonnie Lowenthal. The Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. This measure continues in existence the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, comprised of 7 Members of the Senate and 7 Members of the Assembly, as specified, to address California's emergency management issues, until abolished by the Legislature. WHEREAS, California is the site of some of the most extraordinary natural disasters in North America, including fires, earthquakes, floods, landslides, mudslides, insect infestations, and drought; and WHEREAS, California is the nation's most populous state and home to many of the nation's most critical military installations, industrial facilities, ports, academic institutions, and tourist destinations, and as such California is especially vulnerable to potential acts of terrorism; and WHEREAS, The failed governmental response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 indicates an immediate need to continue to assess and improve upon California's emergency preparedness and response plans, especially in the following areas: the specific roles of local, state, and federal agencies; evacuation planning; interoperable communication systems; emergency warning protocols; and private sector preparedness; and WHEREAS, The recurrent threat of avian and pandemic flu could also present unprecedented challenges to the state's public health system and thus place at risk the state's residents and our economy; and WHEREAS, On November 2, 2003, then-Governor Gray Davis and then-Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger established a Blue Ribbon Fire Commission representing federal, state, and local agencies, the firefighting community, and certain communities; and WHEREAS, The Blue Ribbon Fire Commission was established to conduct a review of the efforts to fight the October 2003 fires and present recommendations to make California less vulnerable to disasters of such enormity in the future; and WHEREAS, The Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, in its report to the Governor, made numerous recommendations and prioritized their importance, including the establishment of a permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Services and Homeland Security; and WHEREAS, The Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Services and Homeland Security has been in continuous existence since it was first established by Resolution Chapter 144 of the Statutes of 2004, and subsequently reauthorized by Resolution Chapter 106 of the Statutes of 2005, Resolution Chapter 152 of the Statutes of 2006, and reauthorized and renamed as the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management by Resolution Chapter 36 of the Statutes of 2009; and WHEREAS, The Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management has provided essential oversight of the California Emergency Management Agency and conducted numerous hearings on the subject of emergency preparedness and homeland security issues; and WHEREAS, The members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and the Legislature recognize that the work of the joint committee needs to continue; now, therefore, be it Resolved, by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management is continued in existence from the 2009-10 Regular Session; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management shall be in continuous existence until abolished by the Legislature; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management shall consist of 14 members, and shall include seven Members of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, four from the political party having the largest number of members in the Senate and three from the political party having the second largest number of members, and seven Members of the Assembly appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, four from the political party having the largest number of members in the Assembly and three from the political party having the second largest number of members; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management shall be under the direction of a chairperson and vice chairperson that shall alternate between the Senate and the Assembly from session to session; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management may provide a public forum for discussion of California's emergency management issues related to natural or human-caused threats to California; and be it further Resolved, That, in order to assist the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management in carrying out its duties, the joint committee may form technical advisory committees, including representatives from the public safety and emergency services disciplines, to help evaluate federal, state, and local strategies, provide technical assistance on an ongoing basis, and take active roles in supporting the passage of any necessary legislation; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management may work in cooperation with the Governor and the standing committees and subcommittees of the Legislature to address the level of support necessary for public safety and related safety agencies to implement essential emergency management services and policies; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management shall, during each biennial session of the Legislature, report to the Governor and the Legislature on the joint committee's progress and includes any recommendations relating to the status of the services and policies that are necessary to have in place to adequately address public safety and essential emergency management services and policies; and be it further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and its members shall have and exercise all of the rights, duties, and powers conferred upon investigating committees and their members by the Joint Rules of the Assembly and Senate as they are adopted and amended from time to time, which provisions are incorporated herein and made applicable to this joint committee and its members; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.