BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 237
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 18, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 237 (Galgiani) - As Amended: May 10, 2011
Policy Committee: HealthVote:13-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires certain manufacturers of cosmetics sold in
California to disclose their ingredients. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Requires any manufacturer of cosmetic products sold in
California that does not currently comply with a voluntary
federal cosmetic ingredients reporting program to provide
similar information as that disclosed to the federal program,
to the Department of Public Health (DPH).
2)Requires DPH to post on its website notifications by the FDA
which identify unsafe ingredients that should be removed from
cosmetics subject to these reporting requirements.
3)Requires the program to be conducted within existing
resources.
FISCAL EFFECT
1) Costs to DPH, likely between $50,000 and $100,000, to
receive reports and perform related activities.
2) The bill specifies that it shall be implemented within
existing resources only. However, the bill's provisions
require increased workload to the department, which would
result in General Fund cost pressure to fund these
activities.
COMMENTS
AB 237
Page 2
1)Rationale . According to the author, this bill provides new
accountability and transparency for cosmetic products sold in
California, without adding new costs to state government. The
author states that based upon recent health concerns related
to other FDA regulated products, this proposal, if enacted,
would provide a new level of protection for consumers and
cosmetic manufacturers.
2)Background . The Voluntary Cosmetic Reporting Program (VCRP) is
an FDA post-market voluntary reporting system for use by
manufacturers, packers, and distributors of cosmetic products
in the United States. Companies voluntarily submit information
about cosmetic ingredients and this information is used by an
independent scientific panel to determine priorities for
safety review.
The Food and Drug Branch within DPH regulates food, drugs,
medical devices, cosmetics and certain other consumer goods
under the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The Sherman
Act addresses the packaging, labeling, and advertising of
consumer goods.
3)Related Legislation . AB 595 (Dymally) of 2007 contained
similar provisions to this bill and was held on suspense in
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 484 (Migden), Chapter 729, Statutes of 2006, the California
Safe Cosmetics Act, requires cosmetic manufacturers to provide
DPH with a complete and accurate list of its cosmetic products
that, as of the date of submission, are sold in the state and
contain any ingredient that is a chemical identified as
causing cancer or reproductive toxicity.
Analysis Prepared by : Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081