SACRAMENTO – On September 29, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed CSLEA supported- Assembly Bill 1751 by Assemblymember Tom Daly (D-Anaheim) – Workers’ compensation: COVID-19: critical workers. AB 1751 extends workers’ compensation provisions relating to COVID-19 injuries until January 1, 2025 for critical workers, including members of law enforcement.

“As efforts continue to mitigate COVID-19, it is crucial that workers’ compensation protections remain in place for law enforcement members on the frontline. AB 1751 will help minimize the burden COVID-19 and subsequent variants have on our workforce. We applaud Assemblymember Daly for bringing the measure forward and thank the Governor for signing it into law,” said CSLEA President Alan Barcelona.

Also on September 29th, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed CSLEA-sponsored Senate Bill 284 – An act to amend Section 3212.15 of the Labor Code, relating to workers’ compensation introduced by Senator Henry Stern (D-Malibu).

SB 284 would have extended PTSD presumption to active firefighters at the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), Department of Developmental Services (DSS), Military Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also would have extended the presumption to DSH and DDS police officers as well as security officers of the Department of Justice.  The bill would also have made that provision applicable to public safety dispatchers, public safety telecommunicators, and emergency response communication employees.

“CSLEA is disappointed that a bill that would have helped our first-responder members experiencing PTSD with a simpler process in obtaining assistance, was not signed into law.  We want to thank Senator Henry Stern for authoring the bill and for being with us every step of the way, as well as the California Legislature for sending this bill to the Governor. Senator Stern has been incredibly supportive of our first responders and the public safety work that our CSLEA members do. He has been a great partner in our effort and 100% recognizes the traumatic stressors that first responders experience.  CSLEA will never give up on protecting first responders and acknowledging that their jobs take an extreme toll on them mentally, physically, and emotionally. We plan on running this bill again, next year,” said CSLEA President Barcelona.

In the Governor’s veto message, he stated in part, “Expanding coverage of the PTSD injury presumption to significant classes of employees before any studies have been conducted on the existing class for whom the presumption is temporarily in place could set a dangerous precedent that has the potential to destabilize the workers’ compensation system going forward, as stakeholders push for similarly unsubstantiated presumptions.”   Read full message here.

SB 284 Sponsors included:

• CSLEA,
• PORAC,
• California Professional Firefighters,
• CalNENA