Historic Legislative Wins

This was a historic legislative session for California firefighters. Listen in as CPF President Brian K. Rice shares testimony from members across the state that helped CPF-sponsored bills become law. 

Governor Newsom signed the landmark behavioral health bill package, an important step towards breaking the stigma around mental health that will save firefighter lives. The governor also signed the EMS dispatch services bill, keeping dispatch in the hands of public agencies.

The following new laws will go into effect in January 2020:

• AB1116 - Moves forward important confidentiality and peer support training to help ensure that firefighters are able to address their behavioral wellness.
• SB 542 - Creates a rebuttable post-traumatic stress injury presumption for firefighters in the state's workers' compensation system.
• SB 438 - Prohibits a public agency from outsourcing its local emergency dispatch services to a private, for profit industry.