State bill to help schools recover funds after wildfires.
State Sen. Bill Dodd, DNapa, has been busy as he recently introduced two new pieces of legislation, including a bill that would help schools recover funding and instructional time lost by wildfire-related power shutoffs from Pacific Gas & Electric Co and other utilities, his office announced.
A second bill would streamline residential insurance claims for victims of disasters such as wildfires.
Sponsored by the Sonoma County Office of Education and coauthored by Senator Mike McGuire, DHealdsburg, Senate Bill 884 authorizes districts to receive funding for makeup days offered at the end of the regular school year if power shutoffs or other disasters force significant closures during the year.
California public school funding is based on ADA, reported three times a year by school districts. Under current law, if schools are forced to close because of a public safety power shutoff, such as those across the North Bay last year, they could lose part of their expected allocation.
The bill requires the state to back fill average daily attendance money schools have lost because of a public safety power shutoff.
“Educating our children is priority one, so communities stricken by PG&E’s poorly executed power outages shouldn’t be forced to endure losses to their school budgets,” Dodd said in a statement released by his office. “My bill will ensure school districts are made financially whole while providing a mechanism to offer makeup days for students who have missed value classroom time.”
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 872, sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, expands the definition of additional living expenses that must be paid to home owners for losses incurred in a state of emergency. Upon submission of a claim, it requires an advance payment of no less than four months for costs such as housing, furniture rental and transportation. Also, it requires an advance payment of no less than 25 percent of a policy limit for lost contents without submission of an inventory form.
“When someone has lost their home or suffered serious damage in a disaster, they shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get coverage they are entitled to,” Dodd said in a separate press release. “Insurance
companies must act swiftly to advance living expenses for temporary housing and other costs and they shouldn’t bury home owners in exhaustive inventory forms. People who pay their premiums deserve to be made whole without unnecessary delay.”
Coauthored by Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, the bill requires insurers to give home owners a 60day grace period for payment of residential premiums after an emergency. Also, insurance companies will be barred from deducting the land value from payouts for those who build on new lots.
Dodd represents California’s 3rd State Senate district, which includes the cities of Vallejo, Benicia, Fairfield, Napa, Dixon, Davis, American Canyon, Rio Vista, and Vacaville, among others.