State Fire Marshal: home hardening certification program implementation plan.

A new requirement was added stating that the minimum tier for any voluntary home hardening certification must be consistent with, and no less stringent than, base level standards developed by a nationally recognized wildfire prepared standard-setting organization (including but not limited to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety), or be based on an actuarial finding that the minimum tier provides a meaningful reduction in ember-based ignitions.

The language in subdivision (f) was changed from 'implement the certification program consistent with the recommendations' to 'implement the certification program based on the recommendations,' shifting from a strict consistency requirement to a more flexible standard that allows the State Fire Marshal some discretion in implementation.

The committee membership reference was updated from 'The Director of State Planning and Research' to 'The Director of State Planning and Research, Land Use and Climate Innovation,' reflecting an agency name change.

Senator Rubio was added as a coauthor of the bill.

New subdivision (f) requires the State Fire Marshal to establish and implement the home hardening certification program by January 1, 2029, consistent with the advisory committee's recommendations. The prior version only required the committee to develop an implementation plan and report to the Legislature by January 1, 2028, with no deadline for actual program launch.

A new recommendation item was added requiring the Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee to propose multiple tiers of home hardening certification, with at least one tier specifically defined as ember resistant. This adds specificity about the structure of the certification program beyond what the Assembly version required.

The committee's obligation changed from developing a home hardening certification program to developing an implementation plan for a home hardening certification program. The bill no longer requires the actual program to be created by January 1, 2028 - only a plan for how it would work.

A new subdivision (e)(3) requires the Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee to provide a report to the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management, Senate Committee on Emergency Management, Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, and Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water by January 1, 2028, in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

The committee's required recommendations were updated to reference the implementation plan. Recommendation (A) now asks which agency should manage and implement the implementation plan, and recommendation (B) references compliance with standards established in the implementation plan.

The authorization to expend funds from the Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund now covers developing the implementation plan for the home hardening certification program rather than the program itself.