AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 13, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE JANUARY 5, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 26, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Senator Reyes

February 21, 2025

An act to amend Section 9120 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to disaster and emergency preparedness.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes an Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program, administered by the California Department of Aging, to provide information to consumers and their families on available long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs and to assist older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities in accessing LTSS programs at the local level. Existing law requires ADRC programs to provide specified services, including, among other things, enhanced information and referral services and other assistance at hours that are convenient for the public.

This bill would further require ADRC programs to provide disaster and emergency preparedness training community education specifically designed to help with the goals of informing older adults and people with disabilities prepare for emergencies and ensure about emergency preparedness and promoting their safety before, during, and after natural disasters and other emergency events, as specified.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) When a natural disaster or other emergency event occurs, certain individuals may have needs that cannot be effectively addressed through traditional emergency response and recovery methods. These needs, referred to as “access and functional needs” within the emergency management community, arise from a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, developmental or intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, chronic health conditions, injuries, limited English proficiency, age, including older adults and children, institutional living, low income, homelessness, transportation challenges, including reliance on public transportation, and pregnancy. Emergencies impact individuals in distinct ways depending on their specific needs.

(b) While all individuals are vulnerable during a natural disaster or other emergency event, those with access and functional needs face heightened vulnerabilities due to their unique circumstances. Historical evidence demonstrates that these individuals are disproportionately affected by natural disasters and other emergency events. According to a 2019 report conducted by the California State Auditor, people with certain access and functional needs are two to four times more likely to perish in a natural disaster compared to the general population. These individuals can constitute a significant portion of the affected population, underscoring the importance of incorporating strategies into emergency plans that specifically address the protection and assistance of these vulnerable groups.

(c) Despite the critical importance of this issue, emergency agencies have often faced challenges in adequately supporting individuals with access and functional needs during natural disasters and other emergency events. Notably, alerting and warning, evacuation, and sheltering have historically posed significant obstacles in meeting the needs of these individuals.

SEC. 2.

Section 9120 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

9120.

(a) There is hereby established an Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) program to provide information to consumers and their families on available long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs and to assist older adults, caregivers, and persons with disabilities in accessing LTSS programs at the local level through ADRC programs operated jointly by area agencies on aging and independent living centers.

(b) This article shall be administered and implemented by the California Department of Aging, in collaboration with the Department of Rehabilitation and the State Department of Health Care Services.

(c) Area agencies on aging and independent living centers shall be the core local partners in developing ADRC programs. The California Department of Aging shall assist interested and qualified area agencies on aging and independent living centers in completing an application to be designated as an ADRC program.

(d) An ADRC program operated by an area agency on aging and an independent living center shall provide all of the following:

(1) Enhanced information and referral services and other assistance at hours that are convenient for the public.

(2) Options counseling concerning available LTSS programs and public and private benefits programs.

(3) Short-term service coordination.

(4) Transition services from hospitals to home and from skilled nursing facilities to the community.

(5) Disaster and emergency preparedness training community education specifically designed to help with the goals of informing older adults and people with disabilities prepare for emergencies and ensure about emergency preparedness and promoting their safety before, during, and after natural disasters and other emergency events.

(A) The training shall community education may utilize existing emergency preparedness and response tools developed by the Office of Emergency Services, the California Department of Aging, the Department of Rehabilitation, and the State Department of Developmental Services, or other relevant community partners.

(B) The training community education shall raise awareness of existing available resources and guidance, including, but not limited to, local alert systems, local emergency plans, information from the local fire department, information on emergency transportation and evacuation resources, and information related to utility services during emergencies and natural disasters.

(e) An ADRC program operated by an area agency on aging and an independent living center shall do both of the following:

(1) Provide services within the geographic area served.

(2) Provide information to the public about the services provided by the program.

(f) (1) The California Department of Aging, in consultation with the Aging and Disability Resource Connection Advisory Committee within the California Department of Aging, shall develop a core model of ADRC best practices. These best practices shall be implemented by July 1, 2022, by all ADRC programs operated by area agencies on aging and independent living centers. To the extent feasible, the best practices shall be considered in the development and continued updating of the master plan on aging. In the development of these best practices, the department and advisory committee shall consider, at a minimum, all of the following practices:

(A) A person-centered counseling process.

(B) Public outreach and coordination with key referral sources, including, but not limited to, caregiver resource centers, the medical centers of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, acute care systems, local 211 programs, local multipurpose senior service programs, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), adult day care services, and LTSS providers.

(C) A formal followup procedure to ensure that services for which a person received a referral were received and methods for correcting service provision if needed.

(D) A model for the best ways for area agencies on aging and independent living centers to share necessary data and client information.

(E) A model for the collection and reporting of data to the California Department of Aging, which shall include, but not be limited to, the demographic information for each individual counseled, the number of consumers served by category of service, and the number of caregivers served.

(2) The California Department of Aging shall review implementation of the ADRC Infrastructure Grants Program described in Section 9121 for consideration in developing and updating the best practices model.

(g) The implementation of this section is contingent on an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, or another act, for that express purpose.