Bill > AB777

This bill establishes a new framework for sharing utility outage data to improve food assistance during disasters by requiring electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities to provide aggregated customer outage information to the State Department of Social Services. Specifically, the bill mandates that these utilities make a reasonable effort to share ZIP code-level outage data within seven calendar days when requested, with the goal of maximizing federal food assistance programs like the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). The data must be aggregated and cannot include personally identifiable information, ensuring privacy protections. The Public Utilities Commission is tasked with helping facilitate this data sharing and providing technical assistance, and the Department of Social Services must submit a report to the Legislature by December 31, 2026, exploring ways to further improve food assistance during emergencies. The bill aims to streamline the process of identifying and supporting households affected by power outages during disasters, ultimately helping to ensure that eligible residents can quickly receive critical food assistance benefits.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB777