2024 CPF Sponsored Bills and Budget Priorities

AB 2284 (Grayson): Grade definition

Grants 1937 Act retirement systems the ability to define “grade” for pensionable compensation as a number of employees that share job duties, schedules, work location, collective bargaining unit, or other logical groupings that are related to their work.

Status: Pending action on the Senate floor.

AB 2408 (Haney): Ban PFAS in Firefighter Turnouts

Prohibits the manufacture, sale, and purchase of firefighter turnouts with intentionally added PFAS by July 1, 2026. PFAS chemicals, which are labeled as forever chemicals, are known to increase cancer risk and have been found in the materials of turnouts. This bill additionally requires Cal/OSHA to expediently update PPE regulations to ensure legacy turnouts that include PFAS are no longer used by firefighters.

Status: Set for hearing in Senate Appropriations Committee on August 5th.

AB 2770 (PERS Committee): AB 1020 Clean-up

Extends the sunset on the PTSI presumption in the Government Code for disability retirement to January 1, 2029, to align with the Labor Code date previously established in AB 1020 (Grayson 2023).

Status: Signed by the Governor on July 15, 2024.

AB 2775 (Gipson): CP/TAD Conformity and Telehealth Guidelines

Under existing law the CP/TAD programs were extended through 2030 by AB 767 (Gipson, 2023) and during that process stakeholders, including EMSA, raised the desire to pursue authorization for telehealth specialties. In addition to a confirming change, AB 2775 would authorize EMSA to develop planning and implementation guidelines for telehealth.

Status: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2813 (Aguiar-Curry): ACA 1 Clean-up Measure

Addresses various stakeholder requests in ACA 1 (Aguiar-Curry, 2023), which, if passed by the voters will lower the vote threshold for taxes and bonds for projects including safety infrastructure and equipment, passed the Legislature in 2023 and is currently scheduled to be on the ballot in November 2024.

Status: Signed by the Governor on July 18, 2024.

AB 3025 (Valencia): 1937 Act Disallowed Compensation Protection

Ensures retirees in 1937 Act Retirement Systems will receive their contractual retirement benefits and will not be penalized if pensionable compensation is disallowed or a correction needs to be made. This measure ensures parity for retirees of 1937 Act Systems with retirees of CalPERS.

Status: Pending action on the Senate floor.

AB 1168 (Bennett): Emergency medical services (EMS): prehospital EMS

Affirms that a city or fire district retains its authority over prehospital EMS services if a city or fire district provides those services and enters or entered into an agreement with a county for the joint exercise of powers for prehospital EMS services consistent with Health and Safety Code 1797.201. Additionally, this measure ensures that a city (Oxnard) that entered into a Joint Powers Agreement prior to the passage of the EMS Act of 1980, and meets other qualifications, shall be treated as if it has rights under Health and Safety Code Section 1797.201.

Status: On the Senate Inactive File.

SB 915 (Cortese): Local Regulation of Robotaxis

Authorizes California’s 15 largest cities to pass a resolution or ordinance regarding the permitting and operations of companies which operate autonomous vehicle services for commercial passengers. These ordinances must include critical passenger protections and safety measures such as maximum rates, data transparency and sharing with the local jurisdiction for oversight, regular health and safety inspections, and the establishment of either interoperability features or an override system that can be accessed by public safety officials in the case of an emergency.

Status: Held in Assembly Transportation Committee.

SB 1180 (Ashby): CP/TAD/MIH Reimbursement

Directs health care service plans that are issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, to provide reimbursement coverage for the services that are provided by a community paramedicine, triage to alternate destination, or mobile integrated health program.

Status: Pending hearing in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

SB 1215 (GO Committee): State Board of Fire Services Designee

In 2021, CPF sponsored SB 817 (Dodd), which allowed the ex-officio members, including the Chair of the Cal-JAC, to have a designee on the SBFS. The statute was unintentionally amended, removing the ability for an ex-officio member to have a designee. SB 1215 restores the provisions of SB 817 and permits the ex-officio members on the SBFS to have a designee.

Status: Signed by the Governor on July 15, 2024.

SB 1240 (Alvarado-Gil): Diamond Springs Fire Protection District/El Dorado County Fire Protection District Consolidation

State legislation is often required to identify the successor agency for the purposes of the CalPERS retirement system when two districts or fire departments consolidate. In 2020, CPF worked on AB 1140 (Stone) which helped facilitate the consolidation of Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District and Central Fire Protection District. This legislation facilitates the consolidation of their districts and establishes a successor agreement for the retirement contract.

Status: Pending action in Assembly Appropriations Committee.