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Gibson-backed bill to set statewide smoke-damage standards advances out of Assembly committee
Summary
Assemblymember Gibson’s AB 17 95 would require science- and health-based statewide standards for inspecting, testing and restoring homes contaminated by wildfire smoke; the measure passed the committee as amended and was re-referred to Appropriations after hearing survivor testimony and industry concerns about costs and scope.
Assemblymember Cymbra Gibson urged the Assembly Insurance Committee to advance AB 17 95, saying the bill would create uniform, science-based standards for inspecting, testing and remediating homes contaminated by wildfire smoke so survivors can safely return home.
The measure, sponsored in the hearing by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, would require CalEPA, in coordination with public-health and environmental agencies, to issue statewide sampling, testing and screening standards by June 30, 2027. Lara said his department has received more than 2,000 smoke-related complaints and has recovered roughly $250 million for policyholders, and he called the bill a public-health response to a growing wildfire reality.
Supporters including survivor groups told the committee that post-remediation testing in the Eaton Fire area found persistent contaminants; Jane Lawton Potell of Eaton Fire Residents United said her group’s testing showed a high prevalence of lead and asbestos even after professional remediation. Palisades fire survivor Alyssa Ashwood urged amendments to avoid limiting the scope of damages that can be claimed, arguing each wildfire has a different contaminant footprint.
Industry witnesses, including a representative of the Personal Insurance Federation and other carriers, registered an "oppose unless amended" position and said earlier drafts could have created substantial additional exposure for insurers and pushed up premiums; they acknowledged committee amendments reduced some impacts and pledged to continue negotiating on legal standards and cost containment.
Committee members questioned the bill’s approach to defining an "impact zone" (expressed in the committee amendments as perimeter/adjacent ZIP-code criteria) and the absence of a statutory presumption linking detected contaminants to a particular fire. Tony Signorelli, deputy commissioner at the California Department of Insurance, said the intent is for CalEPA to develop detailed standards and thresholds and that rulemaking could incorporate both generic statewide wildfire guidance and wildfire-specific findings.
After discussion and amendments, the committee adopted a motion to pass AB 17 95 as amended and re-refer it to the Committee on Appropriations. The committee left the roll open during a later tally; the motion’s formal outcome in the hearing record is "pass as amended and re-refer to Appropriations."
