BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 358
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 15, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                     AB 358 (Holden) - As Amended:  May 7, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              Environmental  
          Safety and Toxic Materials                    Vote: 7-0
                        Assembly Health                              19-0

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

           SUMMARY  

          This bill provides specific standards for lead hazard evaluation  
          in public and residential buildings.  Specifically, this bill 

          Requires lead hazard evaluation to be conducted in a manner  
          determined by the Department of Public Health (DPH) using  
          evaluation methods recognized by the United States Environmental  
          Protection Agency (/EPA)

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Annual special fund  costs to the Childhood Lead Poisoning  
          Prevention Branch of the DPH in the range of $100,000 to amend  
          existing regulations.

          COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   The EPA has recognized several chemical test kits  
            by various manufacturers used for detecting lead.  The federal  
            Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency has subsequently  
            updated its guidelines for controlling lead based paint  
            hazards in housing and included several EPA recognized test  
            kits as acceptable for use in detecting lead.  

             According to the author, DPH regulations reference outdated  
            HUD guidelines and do not recognize the latest chemical test  
            kits.   This bill provides the necessary update consistent  
            with federal law.
             
          2)Background.    Proposition 65 requires the state to publish a  








                                                                  AB 358
                                                                  Page  2

            list of chemicals, including lead, known to cause cancer or  
            birth defects or other reproductive harm, and requires  
            businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of  
            chemicals in the products they purchase, in their homes or  
            workplaces, or that are released in the environment.   

             Human lead exposure occurs when dust and fumes are inhaled and  
            when lead is ingested via contaminated food, water, and other  
            environmental exposures.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081