2020 BILL PACKAGE SUMMARIES
CPF Priority Bills Pass the Legislature and Await Governor’s signature
This was a unique and historic session for the California Legislature, as COVID-19 impacted the state’s budget and dramatically changed priorities. CPF’s legislative goals shifted to getting real time COVID-19 protection for our members on the frontlines of this pandemic. Here is a rundown of the COVID-19 presumption bill and other CPF priorities that passed in the Legislature and now await Governor Newsom’s signature.
SB 1159 (Hill): Workers’ compensation:COVID-19: critical workers
Status: Awaiting Governor’s Signature
SB 1159 establishes a rebuttable presumption for injuries including illness or death resulting from COVID-19 within the workers’ compensation system. This presumption would cover employees who contract COVID-19 through the course of their employment, including firefighters, police officers, and healthcare workers, beginning on or after July 6, 2020 until the sunset date of January 1, 2023. The bill contains an urgency clause, and will take effect immediately upon signature by the Governor. Governor Newsom’s executive order, issued in May, covers workers who contracted COVID-19 between March 19 to July 5, 2020.
AB 1867 (Budget Committee) Small employer family leave mediation: handwashing: supplemental paid sick leave
Status: Awaiting Governor’s Signature
AB 1544 creates the Community Paramedicine or Triage to Alternate Destination Act, which authorizes a local emergency medical services agency (LEMSA) to develop and seek approval for a program that provides the following community paramedic or triage paramedic services: directly observed therapy for patients with Tuberculosis; case management services for frequent EMS users; care and comfort services for hospice patients; triage and assessment services to authorize transport to an alternate destination facility, including a mental health facility or sobering center. Importantly, the bill provides a public safety first right of refusal for community paramedicine programs and requires that all ALS providers have an opportunity to participate in triage to alternate destination programs.
SB 1044 (Allen) Firefighting equipment and foam: PFAS chemicals
Status: Awaiting Governor’s Signature
SB 1044 phases out the use of Class B firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals, with some time limited exceptions, and requires notification of the presence of intentionally added PFAS in the personal protective equipment of firefighters. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that are widely recognized as being harmful to human health and the environment and have been dubbed “forever chemicals” for their persistence in both the body and natural systems.
AB 2967 (O’Donnell) Public Employee’s Retirement System: contracting agencies: exclusion from membership
Status: Awaiting Governor’s Signature
In 2019, the city of Placentia voted to end their contract with the Orange County Fire Authority and establish the Placentia Fire and Life Safety Department. The city petitioned CalPERS to amend its contract to exclude from CalPERS membership all firefighters hired to work for the new department. As a result of this contract amendment, firefighters are now the only full-time public employees in the city of Placentia to be denied a secure retirement through CalPERS. AB 2967 expressly prohibits employers from amending their contracts to exclude a class of employees from CalPERS coverage that were previously otherwise included.
AB 2068 (Petrie-Norris) Voluntary tax contributions: California Firefighters Memorial Fund: California Police Officer Memorial Foundation Fund
Status: Awaiting Governor’s Signature
Since the construction of the California Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol to honor our fallen firefighters, California’s taxpayers have been granted the opportunity to directly support the maintenance of the memorial through the California Firefighters Memorial Fund. AB 2068 extends the sunset of this tax check-off program through January 1, 2028, ensuring that the California Fire Foundation is able to build on their good work and offer the citizens of California a place to honor those who have given their lives to save the lives and property of others.