Bill Dodd
- Democratic
- Senator
- District 3
Author
Existing law authorizes a person, firm, or corporation, or a group or combination of persons, firms, corporations, or groups, that owns or controls brush-covered land, forest lands, woodland, grassland, shrubland, or any combination thereof within a state responsibility area to apply to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) for permission to utilize prescribed burning for specified public purposes. Existing law requires, on or before January 1, 2020, the Forest Management Task Force, or its successor entity, in coordination with the Department of Insurance, to develop recommendations for the implementation of an insurance pool or other mechanism for prescribed burn managers that reduces the cost of conducting prescribed fire while maintaining adequate liability protection for lives and property when conducting prescribed burns. This bill would delete the provision requiring the task force to develop recommendations for the implementation of an insurance pool or other mechanisms for prescribed burn managers. The bill would establish, until January 1, 2028, the Prescribed Fire Liability Pilot Program, to be administered by CalFire, to increase the pace and scale of the use of prescribed fire and cultural burning, as defined, and to reduce barriers for conducting prescribed fires and cultural burning. The bill would create the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund in the State Treasury to support coverage for losses from prescribed fires and cultural burning by nonpublic entities, such as cultural fire practitioners, private landowners, and nongovernmental entities. The bill would require that, upon order of the Department of Finance, the $20,000,000 appropriated to CalFire by the Legislature in the Budget Act of 2021 be transferred into the fund, and would provide that all moneys deposited or transferred into the fund be continuously appropriated to CalFire for these purposes. By providing for the continuous appropriation of fund moneys to CalFire, this bill would create an appropriation. The bill would authorize CalFire to contract with any entity, including another state agency, such as the California Insurance Guarantee Association, to administer or assist in administering the fund, including managing and operating the fund, adjusting claims made pursuant to the fund, and paying claims from the fund, as provided. The bill would require CalFire to collaborate with other relevant state agencies, cultural fire practitioners, and burn bosses to establish guidelines governing the program and the administration of the fund and would prescribe minimum requirements for those guidelines. The bill would limit the state's liability for all claims for covered losses established pursuant to the program and the guidelines adopted by CalFire to the amount in the fund. Existing law creates the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) and requires all insurers admitted to transact specified insurance lines in this state to become members. Under existing law, CIGA pays and discharges covered claims, which are the obligations of an insolvent insurer that meet specified requirements. Existing law requires CIGA to operate pursuant to a plan of operations, and subjects that plan and its amendments to prior written approval of the Insurance Commissioner. This bill would authorize CIGA, until January 1, 2028, to administer the Prescribed Fire Claims Fund, subject to prior written approval by the commissioner. The bill would grant CIGA the authority to handle losses arising from prescribed fires and cultural burning that are supported by the fund if the commissioner grants approval and CalFire contracts with CIGA for that purpose. The bill would limit the state's and CIGA's liability for losses arising from prescribed fires and cultural burning that are supported by the fund and associated costs to the amount in the fund. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Approved by the Governor.
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 606, Statutes of 2022.
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 4935.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 5946.) Ordered to the Senate.
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (August 11).
August 3 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 20). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 3984.) Ordered to the Assembly.
Ordered to special consent calendar.
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 3775.) (May 19).
Set for hearing May 19.
April 25 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.
Set for hearing April 25.
April 18 hearing postponed by committee.
Set for hearing April 18.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0. Page 3323.) (April 5). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Set for hearing April 5.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on G.O. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 3182.) (March 22). Re-referred to Com. on G.O.
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
Set for hearing March 22.
From printer.
Art. IV. Sec. 8(a) of the Constitution dispensed with.
Joint Rule 55 suspended. (Ayes 31. Noes 6. Page 2880.)
(Ayes 31. Noes 6.)
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
| Bill Text Versions | Format |
|---|---|
| SB926 | HTML |
| 02/07/22 - Introduced | |
| 03/10/22 - Amended Senate | |
| 05/19/22 - Amended Senate | |
| 08/15/22 - Amended Assembly | |
| 08/24/22 - Enrolled | |
| 09/27/22 - Chaptered |
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| 03/17/22- Senate Natural Resources and Water | |
| 04/02/22- Senate Governmental Organization | |
| 04/22/22- Senate Appropriations | |
| 05/19/22- Senate Appropriations | |
| 05/23/22- Sen. Floor Analyses | |
| 06/17/22- Assembly Natural Resources | |
| 06/24/22- Assembly Judiciary | |
| 08/01/22- Assembly Appropriations | |
| 08/17/22- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS | |
| 08/19/22- Sen. Floor Analyses |
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