BILL ANALYSIS Ó Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Kevin de León, Chair SB 1395 (Block) - Public beaches: inspection for contaminants. Amended: March 25, 2014 Policy Vote: Health 7-0, EQ 7-0 Urgency: No Mandate: No Hearing Date: May 12, 2014 Consultant: Brendan McCarthy This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: SB 1395 would authorize the Department of Public Health to adopt regulations for alternative beach water quality tests and authorize the Department to allow local environmental health officers to use a specified alternative test, if certain conditions are met. Fiscal Impact: Costs of about $400,000 per year, likely for one to two years for the Department of Public Health to evaluate testing methods and revise regulations (General Fund). Background: Under current law, the Department of Public Health has adopted regulations establishing minimum standards for water quality off public beaches, including requirements for testing, notification, and beach closures. Local health officers are required to implement the beach water monitoring program when funding is provided by the state and to report information about beach closures to the State Water Resources Control Board. Current law requires local health officers to test the water off public beaches weekly from April 1st to October 1st. Proposed Law: SB 1395 would authorize the Department of Public Health to adopt regulations for alternative beach water quality tests provided the alternative tests are as protective of public health as the currently required tests. The bill would also authorize the Department to allow local environmental health officers to use an approved polymerase chain reaction testing method as the single test for contamination, provided that the local health environmental officer has demonstrated that the new test is as effective as the currently required test. > (>) Page 1