Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Program.

The bill was reformatted from the official authenticated chaptered document format (with STATE OF CALIFORNIA header, page numbers, and formal layout) into a web-based legislative information system display. All substantive legal provisions (Sections 970-978) remain unchanged.

Web navigation elements (skip to content, home, accessibility, FAQ, feedback, sitemap, login), search functionality, bill version history listing (showing prior versions from 02/18/25 through 10/10/25), and a publication date of 10/13/2025 were added as part of the web interface.

The formal authenticated document header (STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AUTHENTICATED, ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL) and internal page numbering were removed as part of the transition to web display format.

The bill was assigned Chapter 541 and the header was updated from the enrolled bill format (with Senate/Assembly passage dates) to the authenticated electronic legal material format with the Governor's approval date of October 10, 2025.

Page numbering changed from 'SB 429' references to 'Ch. 541' references, and line wrapping was adjusted throughout to match the official chaptered layout.

The definition of 'public wildfire catastrophe model' now explicitly requires that the readily accessible documentation and programs include 'underlying data and algorithms,' making it clear that the model's source data and code must be publicly available, not just its outputs.

Section 970(4) now specifies that publicly accessible information for mitigation planning must be provided 'through providing regional and property-level risk assessments,' adding a concrete delivery mechanism for the required public information.

Added an entirely new Article 12 (Sections 970-978) to the Insurance Code establishing the Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Program, which funds university research centers to develop a public wildfire catastrophe model.

The original anti-discrimination amendment to Section 679.74 (prohibiting insurers from discriminating based on income level/source or housing assistance receipt) is retained but renumbered as Section 1, with the new wildfire program provisions placed before it.

Created the Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Account within the Insurance Fund (Section 974) to finance development, demonstration, and deployment of public wildfire catastrophe modeling. The bill is operative only upon legislative appropriation.

Changed the fiscal note from 'Appropriation: no' to 'Appropriation: yes' and 'Fiscal committee: no' to 'Fiscal committee: yes,' reflecting that the bill now requires legislative appropriation of funds.

Established that grants will be awarded competitively by the Department of Insurance to one or more universities for eligible projects: (1) developing a public wildfire catastrophe model, or (2) outreach initiatives to identify and educate potential users of such a model.

Required the Department of Insurance to create and publish a framework and multiyear plan for developing, demonstrating, and deploying the public wildfire catastrophe model on its website (Section 973).

Established priority criteria for grant evaluation including benefits to disadvantaged communities, assistance to state and local governments, educational benefits for California students, availability for government scenario running, publicly accessible property-level risk information, understanding of environmental factors, and consumer transparency (Section 972).

Defined 'public wildfire catastrophe model' as a computerized process using the best available science to simulate potential property damage from major wildfires, with readily accessible documentation and programs for use by public agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Required the Department of Insurance to provide recommendations to the Legislature, Budget Committees, and Governor for future budget allocations before September 1, 2026 (Section 976).

New subsection (7) in Section 971(b) requires that program activities complement wildfire mitigation priorities identified in local and state hazard mitigation plans and in after-action reports following federal major disaster declarations related to wildfires.

Section 973(a) removed the qualifier 'to the extent possible' from the requirement to create a framework and multiyear plan, making it a firmer obligation rather than a best-efforts standard.

Section 976 now requires the department to provide budget recommendations to the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management in addition to the previously listed committees (Senate Insurance, Assembly Insurance, Budget Committees, and the Governor).

The phrase 'insurance rates' was removed from Section 970(c)(1), narrowing the list of areas the public wildfire catastrophe model should support effective regulation and financial oversight of.

Section 973 was restructured by consolidating subsections (a), (b), and (c) into just (a) and (b), removing a redundant restatement of the multiyear plan requirement.

The entire amendment to Insurance Code Section 679.74 was removed. That provision would have prohibited residential property insurers from refusing, canceling, or discriminating in insurance applications based on the income level or source of non-owner residents and their receipt of government housing assistance (including federal vouchers under the Housing Act of 1937). It also would have barred such information from appearing on insurance applications or investigation reports.

Section 976 now requires the department to provide budget allocation recommendations to the Senate Committee on Insurance and Assembly Committee on Insurance in addition to the Legislature, Budget Committees, and Governor. Previously only the Legislature, Budget Committees, and Governor were listed.

Section 970(c)(1) was reworded from 'support effective regulation and financial oversight of insurance rates, risk assessments, and insurance company solvency risks' to 'support effective insurance regulation and financial oversight of insurance rates, insurance, risk assessments, and insurance company solvency risks,' adding the word 'insurance' in two places.

Section 973(a) contains what appears to be a drafting error: 'to the extent possible and multiyear plan with available data, data for the development' - the phrase is garbled compared to the Senate version's 'to the extent possible and with available data, for the development.' Section 973(c) also shows confused subsection lettering with a blank (c) followed by a re-labeled (b).