LEGISLATION

2026 CPF Sponsored Bills and Budget Priorities

Bill Status as of September 20, 2026

AB 1383 (McKinnor): Retirement Reform

The Public Employee Pension Reform Act of 2012 (PEPRA) set forth significant changes to the retirement system that impacted all public employees. CPF is working with Assemblymember McKinnor on thoughtful reforms to reduce normal retirement age for public safety personnel from 57 to 55, increasing the pensionable compensation cap, and creating opportunities for locals to bargain over prospective increases to pension formulas.

Status: Vetoed by the Governor on September 20, 2026 | See President Roberts' statement on cpf.org/news

SB 1024 (Menjivar): Paid Leave: Childbirth

Family leave policies vary drastically across departments, but most do not provide adequate time off before returning to work and the loss of pay can cause significant financial impacts. This measure would require departments to provide up to 6 months of paid leave for firefighters who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. 

Status: Signed by the Governor on September 20, 2026.

AB 2152 (Gonzalez): California Environmental Quality Act: Fire Stations

The California Environmental Quality Act requires government agencies to consider the environmental impacts of construction projects and allows for legal challenges that can lead to significant delays. This measure will streamline any challenges under CEQA for the construction of fire stations, expediting their construction.

Status: Signed by the Governor on September 29, 2026

SB 691 (Wahab): Protecting Patient Privacy

SB 691 requires law enforcement agencies with policies on body-worn cameras to update those policies to establish a procedure for emergency medical personnel to request redaction of footage containing medical or behavioral health evaluation or treatment prior to public release of that footage. As a covered provider under HIPAA, EMTs and paramedics are responsible for the reasonable protection of their patients’ private health information until the transfer of their care.

Status: Signed by the Governor on September 20, 2026.

SB 989 (Blakespear): Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program

The CARE Act improves access to treatment for individuals with severe and debilitating psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia by creating mechanisms for referral into structured treatment plans. While first responders are already eligible to act as petitioners to facilitate treatment, this measure will ease barriers to filing CARE petitions for first responders.

Signed by the Governor on September 27, 2026.

SB 1444 (Senate Labor Committee): SB 230 Cleanup

SB 230 (2025, Laird) added federal and industrial firefighters employed at NASA installations and airports to the existing presumptions; however, a change in training standards referenced in the statute requires additional legislation to guarantee continued access to these protections.

Status: Signed by the Governor on August 27, 2026.

STATE BUDGET: AB 113

Status: Signed by the Governor on September 18, 2026

Funding for the California Firefighters Memorial

AB 113 additionally provides $5 million to the California Firefighters Memorial.

Continued Funding for AB 700 Research

The 2023-2024 budget provided $7 million for grants to study cancer in the fire service through the California Firefighter Cancer Research and Prevention Program established by AB 700 (Grayson, 2023). AB 113 (Gabriel) provides an additional $10 million in funding for future grants.