AB 299: Public health: drownings.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health in state government. Existing law vests within the department certain duties and powers to protect and preserve the public health. Existing law provides for the regulation of recreational water use, as specified, including, but not limited to, swimming pools and wave pools.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to create, by regulation, a submersion incident report form for the reporting of all statewide drownings or nonfatal drownings, as specified. The bill would require the form to be used and completed by every local law enforcement entity, fire department, and any other first responder, as defined, within 72 hours for every drowning or nonfatal drowning for which the entity, department, or first responder provides services or investigates and for which a person is treated or hospitalized for respiratory distress. The bill would require the form to be submitted to the department and each local county health department. The bill would require local county health departments to send aggregated data quarterly to the department. The bill would require the department and those entities each local county health department to compile specified data from those forms and to post that data annually on their Internet Web sites.

By imposing additional duties on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.