LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

2026 CPF Sponsored Bills and Budget Priorities

2026 is the second year of a two-year legislative session, during which CPF will continue to pursue existing legislative priorities as well as introduce new pieces of legislation protecting firefighters and the communities they serve. Newly introduced bills will have their language finalized over the coming months and be considered by committees in their houses of origin, with a deadline to be passed from that house by the end of May. Bills introduced in 2025 will be referred to policy committees in the second house and heard there in the summer, with the legislative deadline for all bills set for August 31 and the final day for the Governor to sign legislation on September 30. Below is a brief summary of CPF’s legislative and selected budget priorities for the upcoming year. If you are interested in supporting CPF's legislative efforts in 2026, please visit cpfactivism.org and sign up to get involved.

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 formula.

Status: Passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment, and Retirement Committee with a 5-0 vote. Referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 691 (Wahab): Protecting Patient Privacy

SB 691 requires that 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: Passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a 6-0 vote. Referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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 create an exemption in CEQA for the construction of fire stations, expediting their construction.

Status: Passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee with a 13-0 vote. Referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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.

Status: Passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee with an 11-0-1 vote. Referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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 employers to provide 6 months of paid leave for firefighters who have given birth and who have served at least 1,250 or 22 weeks with their agency.

Status: Passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee with a 7-0 vote. Referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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: Passed the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee with a 6-0-1 vote. Referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

STATE BUDGET

The Governor signed a budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year that reflects ongoing funding challenges while keeping many of the fire service's highest priorities whole. Below are key items of interest:

Cal-JAC Underfunded Hours

With firefighter training continuing to increase across California, the training hours recorded have exceeded previous budget appropriations. The FY26-27 budget contains funding to support the Cal-JAC, including $16 million to address underfunded hours during the 24-25 and 25-26 fiscal years.

CAL FIRE Funding

The final budget includes full funding for CAL FIRE as it continues to implement the transition to a full-time fire service and the 66-hour workweek, with protection of funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

County VLF Reimbursement

San Mateo, Alpine, and Mono Counties have experienced significant shortfalls under the Vehicle License Fee. The final budget includes $80 million in backfill to mitigate the impacts of the underfunding.