Assembly BillIntroducedGovernment
AB 1866: California Disaster Assistance Act: minimum damages thresholds.
What AB 1866 does, verified May 16, 2026
This bill aims to provide financial assistance to local agencies in California for disaster response activities. The director of emergency services will prioritize agencies that are not eligible for federal funding due to inability to meet minimum damage thresholds. The state share for eligible projects is limited to 75% of total state eligible costs, unless the local agency is located in a city or county with a local hazard mitigation plan. The bill also specifies which costs can be included in the local agency cost share.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions8 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| Apr. 15, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Mar. 24, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (March 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Mar. 12, 2026 | Re-referred to Com. on E.M. |
| Mar. 11, 2026 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.M. Read second time and amended. |
Latest bill textAmended version, March 11, 2026 · 583 words
| Amended IN Assembly March 11, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1866
| Introduced by Assembly Member Rogers |
February 11, 2026 |
An act to amend Section 8685.9 of, and to add Section 8685.1 to to, the Government Code, relating to disaster assistance.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1866, as amended, Rogers. California Disaster Assistance Act: minimum damages thresholds.
Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, requires the Director of Emergency Services to provide financial assistance to local agencies for their personnel costs, equipment costs, and the cost of supplies and materials used during disaster response activities, incurred as a result of a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor, subject to specified criteria.
This bill would require the director, in administering those provisions, to prioritize local agencies that are not eligible for federal funding due to the agency’s inability to meet minimum damage thresholds under federal law, as specified.
The California Disaster Assistance Act limits the state share for any eligible project to no more than 75% of total state eligible costs unless the local agency is located within a city, county, or city and county that has adopted a local hazard mitigation plan in accordance with specified federal law.
This bill would specify costs that may be included in the local agency cost share.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 8685.1 is added to the Government Code, to read:8685.1.
The director, when determining an allocation of funds for a project consistent with this chapter, shall prioritize local agencies that are not eligible under the federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 5121 et seq.) due to their inability to meet the minimum damages threshold set by Section 206.48 of Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations.SEC. 2.
Section 8685.9 of the Government Code is amended to read:8685.9.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including Section 8686, for any eligible project, the state share shall not exceed 75 percent of total state eligible costs unless the local agency is located within a city, county, or city and county that has adopted a local hazard mitigation plan in accordance with the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-390) as part of the safety element of its general plan adopted pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 65302. In that situation, the Legislature may provide for a state share of local costs that exceeds 75 percent of total state eligible costs.(b) Notwithstanding any other law, including Section 8686, for any eligible project, the local agency cost share may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Local agency personnel costs, equipment costs, and the cost of supplies and materials used during disaster response activities, incurred as a result of a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor.
(2) Costs to repair, restore, reconstruct, or replace facilities belonging to local agencies damaged as a result of disasters as defined in Section 8680.3, including mitigation measures performed pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8686.4.
(3) Indirect administrative costs and any other assistance deemed necessary by the local agency.
(4) A calculated level of compensation associated with volunteer services provided by individuals participating in emergency work activities, including, but not limited to, community emergency response teams as authorized under the federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (commencing with Section 5121) of Title 42 of the United States Code.
Text of AB 1866 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions