SACRAMENTO—SB 1263, Senator McGuire’s latest measure to protect wildfire survivors from unscrupulous contractors and better prepare the State of California for large-scale debris cleanup, passed out of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee today on a 16-0 vote.

For over a decade, Senator McGuire has worked to expedite post-disaster community cleanup and debris removal efforts and hold unscrupulous building contractors to account. 

He’s authored bipartisan legislation to increase the statute of limitations for contractors that perform shoddy and dangerous work on post-disaster home rebuilds and he’s successfully advanced legislation that requires the State of California to prequalify large contractors who perform wildfire debris cleanup and removal work. This has cut the time for large-scale community cleanup efforts down considerably. Now, McGuire is moving SB 1263 forward with bipartisan support.

Background on SB 1263:

In the aftermath of natural disasters, especially wildfires and floods, communities are often inundated with advertisements for debris removal services. Too often, homeowners are left vulnerable to substandard work performed by fly-by-night, unlicensed contractors operating without proper knowledge, training, and standards.

SB 1263 fixes this glaring issue by requiring that only licensed contractors can perform post-disaster residential debris removal work. This bill establishes clear standards by limiting disaster debris removal to qualified licensed contractors and ensures baseline safety and training standards when handling hazardous materials are met.

“After a major disaster, getting communities back on their feet requires debris cleanup that is done quickly, effectively and safely,” said Senator McGuire. “Tens of thousands of California families have been impacted by megafires and they deserve peace of mind that their own disaster cleanup is being done right the first time and that unscrupulous contractors who try to take advantage of disaster survivors are held to account.”

SB 1263 is proudly being advanced in partnership with the Contractors State License Board.

The bill now heads to the Assembly Emergency Management Committee.

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Mike McGuire is President pro Tempore Emeritus of the California Senate. He represents the North Coast of California, which stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, including Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin Counties. Website of Senator McGuire: https://sd02.senate.ca.gov/