BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 105
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 6, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                      SB 105 (Yee) - As Amended:  June 22, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                             JudiciaryVote:8-2
                       Health                           Vote: 13-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires an individual younger than 18 years of age to 
          wear a properly fitted and approved helmet when downhill skiing 
          or snowboarding. Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires helmets to meet the standards of specified national 
            or international safety organizations. 

          2)Establishes a fine for an infraction of the helmet requirement 
            of not more than $25. 

          3)Requires ski resorts to post signs about the helmet 
            requirement and to provide written notice on trail maps and 
            websites. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          No direct state fiscal impact. This bill contains no specific 
          enforcement or reporting requirements.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill is sponsored by the California 
            Psychological Association to establish basic safety standards 
            for children who ski and snowboard at California resorts. The 
            author and sponsor indicate more than 7,000 head injuries 
            occur annually at American ski resorts. Research indicates the 
            use of a helmet for skiing and snowboarding reduces head, 
            neck, and face injuries by 40% to 50%. The benefits of helmet 
            protection are particularly pronounced for children. 









                                                                  SB 105
                                                                  Page  2

           2)Related Legislation  . 

             a)   SB 880 (Yee) Chapter 278, Statutes of 2010 was nearly 
               identical to SB 105.  SB 880 included a provision making 
               the bill contingent on the enactment of AB 1652 (Jones).  
               AB 1652 was vetoed by the governor, which subsequently 
               voided SB 880's chaptered status. 

             b)   AB 1652 (Jones) in 2010 required ski resorts to prepare 
               an annual safety plan, make the safety plan available to 
               the public, and make available to the public a monthly 
               report with specified details about any fatal incidents at 
               the resort which resulted from a recreational activity.  It 
               also required a ski resort to establish its own signage 
               policy and its own safety padding policy for the resort.  
               AB 1652 was vetoed.

             c)   SB 278 (Gaines) is nearly identical to AB 1652 (Jones) 
               of 2010.  This bill is currently enrolled.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081