Emergency services: emergency plans: critically ill newborn infants.

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, grants the Governor certain powers to be exercised in accordance with the State Emergency Plan and programs for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency, including providing for approval of local emergency plans, requires the State Emergency Plan to be in effect in each political subdivision of the state, and requires the governing body of each political subdivision to take such action as may be necessary to carry out the provisions thereof. Existing law requires a county, upon the next update to its emergency plan, to integrate access and functional needs into its emergency plan, as specified. Existing law provides a county with specified powers and duties for the purpose of enrolling residents from the access and functional needs population in a local public emergency warning system, as specified. Existing law provides that "access and functional needs population" for purposes of these provisions consists of individuals who have developmental or intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic conditions, injuries, limited English proficiency or who are non-English speaking, older adults, children, people living in institutionalized settings, or those who are low income, homeless, or transportation disadvantaged, including, but not limited to, those who are dependent on public transit or those who are pregnant. This bill, additionally, would include critically ill newborn infants in the "access and functional needs population" for those purposes. The bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, at the request of a county, to assist the county, in conjunction with the hospitals in the county, in the preparation of an emergency disaster evacuation plan for critically ill newborn infants in the neonatal intensive care units in the county. By increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.