The California Constitution provides that the University of California constitutes a public trust administered by the Regents of the University of California, a corporation in the form of a board, with full powers of organization and government, subject to legislative control only for specified purposes. The Regents of the University of California may adopt rules and regulations as may be necessary to operate any project. Existing law establishes and funds various research centers and programs in conjunction with the University of California.
AB 700 establishes the California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program. Through AB 700, the Legislature requests the University of California to develop and administer a competitive grant program to award grants to eligible educational institutions to conduct research on the California fire service using a community-based participatory research model in collaboration with California firefighters. The research will include, but not be limited to, understanding the biomarkers associated with exposure to cancer-causing agents and studying the risks associated with exposure to carcinogens.
AB 700 requires the University of California, in consultation with the FIRESCOPE Program, to develop the strategic guidelines and priorities of the program and receive and evaluate the applications of the eligible educational institutions. AB 700 provides the FIRESCOPE Program with authority to make final recommendations to the University of California on which grants should be funded based on the research priorities established for the program and the technical merits of the proposals as determined by peer review panels modeled upon the National Institutes of Health peer review process.
AB 700 requires the University of California, in consultation with the FIRESCOPE Program, to prepare two reports to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2030, specifying the number and dollar amounts of the grants that have been awarded, the grant recipients, the participating fire departments, and a summary of the research.
(AB 700 adds Article 4 (commencing with section 104210) to Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code.)