BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2386
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2386 (Mullin)
As Amended August 20, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(May 27, 2014) |SENATE: |33-0 |(August 25, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: HUM. S.
SUMMARY : Requires all community care facilities, including
child care and adult care facilities and residential care
facilities for the elderly (RCFE) to have one or more carbon
monoxide detectors installed in the facility.
The Senate amendments include RCFEs that serve individuals with
chronic, life-threatening illnesses in the requirement to have a
carbon monoxide detector installed and deleted the requirement
that the Department of Social Services (DSS) has to account for
their presence upon inspection of the facility.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill required all care
facilities to have one or more carbon monoxide detectors
installed in the facility and requires the DSS to account for
their presence upon inspection of the facility.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill has minor and absorbable costs to DSS to
check compliance during inspections.
COMMENTS : This bill aligns existing health and safety licensing
requirements for all care facilities under the jurisdiction of
DSS' Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) with the Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (CMPPA) of 2010 (SB 183
(Lowenthal), Chapter 19, Statutes of 2010), which requires all
existing dwellings intended for human occupancy that have a
fossil fuel burning appliance, a fireplace, or an attached
garage to install a carbon monoxide detector on or before
January 1, 2013. Although already required for single family
homes, as well as schools, there is no specific requirement that
a carbon monoxide detector be installed in non-residential
facilities, such as a non-residential child care facility.
Child care providers that operate on school campuses are already
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in compliance since school districts are required to have a
carbon monoxide detector installed. However, there is no
requirement for privately operated child care centers that
operate in a commercial facility to have installed a carbon
monoxide detector.
DSS Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD): Facilities
licensed by CCLD typically provide non-medical care and
supervision for children and adults in need, which includes
persons with disabilities, seniors in need of residential care,
children in foster care and at-risk children needing shelter
services, families in need of early childhood education (child
care), and adult care services. CCLD is responsible for the
licensing of all community care facilities and for investigating
all complaints against those facilities. According to DSS, as
of June 30, 2013, there are 76,416 licensed facilities with a
licensed capacity of 1,395,185 individuals.
Dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning: Carbon monoxide is an
odorless, colorless, deadly gas. At lower levels of exposure it
can cause health problems such as headaches, fatigue, nausea,
dizzy spells, confusion and irritability. Later stages of
carbon monoxide poisoning can cause vomiting, loss of
consciousness and eventually brain damage or death. Carbon
monoxide is produced by furnaces, common household appliances,
vehicles, generators, fireplaces and other systems that are
powered by the burning of fuel such as natural gas propane,
gasoline, oil and wood.
The California Air Resources Board has determine that 30 to 40
"avoidable deaths" occur just in California each year, on
average, due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.
Additionally, there are 175 to 700 "avoidable" emergency room
visits and hospitalizations in California alone. In 2001, 25%
of the carbon monoxide poisoning deaths from home-related
products were adults 65 years and older.
Analysis Prepared by : Chris Reefe / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089
FN: 0005455
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