California Assembly Bill AB955 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 955AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 26, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mathis FEBRUARY 26, 2015 An act to  amend Section 8680.3 of   add Section 8687.77 to  the Government Code, relating to disaster assistance. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 955, as amended, Mathis. Disaster  assistance.   assistance: droughts: temporary assistance.   Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, authorizes the Office of Emergency Services to establish a model process that would be made available to assist a community in recovering from an emergency proclaimed by the Governor and would provide that the process may consider, among other things, the role of the office to facilitate the use of temporary services, including, but not limited to, the provision of potable water.   This bill would additionally authorize the office to establish a model process to address the effects of a drought by providing temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners. The bill would require the process to consider, among other things, the role of the office in providing temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners, and to include provisions that would allow for temporary assistance to property owners whose income exceed a threshold established by the office, as specified.   Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, defines the term "disaster" for its purposes as a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave, earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or other similar public calamity that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety.   This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to this provision.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 8687.77 is added to the   Government Code  , to read:   8687.77. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following shall apply: (1) "Property owner" means the owner of a home, rental housing, multifamily housing, or small business. (2) "Small business" means a business with 25 or few employees. (3) "Water supplies" means the purchase and installation of water storage tanks and associated plumbing and the provision of water deliveries for drinking and sanitation. (b) In addition to any model process established by the Office of Emergency Services to assist a community pursuant to Section 8687.7, the office may also establish a model process to address the effects of a drought by providing temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners consistent with this section. (c) The model process shall consist of the following: (1) The role of the office in providing temporary water supplies for drinking and sanitation to property owners, including any collaboration efforts with a local agency or non-profit organization. (2) The establishment of income thresholds above which the office determines a property owner has adequate resources to remedy the water quality or water supply problem without temporary assistance from the state. (3) For instances where the property owner's income exceeds the threshold established in paragraph (2): (A) A provision that allows for temporary assistance to be provided if the property owner agrees to reimburse the full cost of that temporary assistance. (B) For instances where the property owner demonstrates that the owner cannot afford to reimburse the full cost of that temporary assistance, a provision that allows the office to provide a loan to the property owner to cover those temporary assistance costs with an interest rate that does not exceed 1 percent. The loans shall be made from any moneys appropriated by the Legislature to the office. (C) The method of reimbursement or repayment of any loan, including the period for reimbursement or repayment, consistent with the property owner's ability to repay. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as compelling a property owner to accept any assistance offered by a model process established pursuant to this section. (e) The recipient of any assistance received pursuant to a model process established pursuant to this section shall agree to hold the state harmless from any damages due to that assistance. (f) The office may adopt as an emergency regulation, in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, any regulation it determines is necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.   SECTION 1.   Section 8680.3 of the Government Code is amended to read: 8680.3. "Disaster" means a fire, flood, storm, tidal wave, earthquake, terrorism, epidemic, or any other similar public calamity that the Governor determines presents a threat to public safety.