AB 1795 Heads to Senate Insurance Without Promised Amendments

AB 1795 will be heard by the State Senate Insurance Committee this Wednesday, June 24, yet none of the amendments Assemblymember Mike Gipson pledged before the bill passed the Assembly have been added to the bill.

After fire survivors and advocates opposed AB 1795 because it could restrict policyholders’ access to testing, Gipson pledged on June 8 to amend the bill to include the contaminants identified in AB 1642, establish a rebuttable presumption that contamination found with wildfire debris was caused by the fire unless an insurer proves otherwise, and expand the presumed impact zone. Only then did the Assembly advance the bill to the Senate. However, the current published language for AB 1795 remains unchanged since May 18 and no amendments have been submitted.

EFRU is concerned that AB 1795 is moving forward without the protections survivors were promised. The Senate Insurance Committee should not advance the bill until those amendments are included in writing. EFRU is also advocating for removal of the trade-and-industry-standards provision so that health-based testing, remediation, and clearance requirements clearly govern.
Action: Stay tuned for updates from EFRU on the status of this bill to participate in calls to action. Add your name to the opposition letter. Supporters may attend the Senate Insurance Committee hearing in Sacramento on Wednesday 6/24 and give a brief “me too” statement or authorize the coalition to voice support on their behalf. To participate, email contact@efru.la.