BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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Date of Hearing: April 18, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
ACR 160
(Hadley) - As Introduced March 30, 2016
SUBJECT: Motor vehicle idling: children
SUMMARY: Encourages motorists to not idle their vehicles near
places where children congregate. Specifically, this
resolution:
1)Recounts the dangers of idling in the proximity of children,
including:
a) Idling of motor vehicles contributes to global warming
and is linked to asthma, decreased lung function, cardiac
disease, cancer, and other serious health problems;
b) Children's lungs are still developing and are especially
at risk of developing health problems when they are exposed
to elevated levels of pollutants. Monitoring at schools
has shown higher levels of benzene, formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, and other air toxics during the afternoon
hour coinciding with parents picking up their children;
c) Asthma is the most common chronic illness among
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children, the largest cause of school absences, and is the
third leading cause of hospitalization among children under
the age of 15 years;
d) An idling car wastes about half a gallon of gasoline per
hour, and a gallon of burned fuel emits about 20 pounds of
carbon dioxide;
e) One minute of idling puts more carbon monoxide into the
air than smoking three packs of cigarettes;
f) Idling produces between 10% and 12% more emissions than
driving for the same amount of gas used due to incomplete
combustion and ineffective operation of the catalytic
converter;
g) Idling motor vehicles emit particulate matter, nitrogen
dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; and,
h) On a daily basis, Americans may be burning as much as
3.8 million gallons of gasoline from voluntary idling,
resulting in about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
Annually, the cumulative effect is the useless burning of
1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and the emission of 13
million tons of carbon dioxide.
EXISTING LAW:
1)By way of regulation, prohibits school bus idling for any
amount of time at schools and within 100 feet of a school.
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2)Sets forth minimum penalties for violating this regulation.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown, this bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS: In December 2002, ARB adopted a regulation to limit
school bus idling and idling at schools in order to reduce
harmful exposure to diesel particulate matter and other
pollutants from school buses, school pupil activity buses, youth
buses, general paratransit vehicles, transit buses, and
heavy-duty commercial motor vehicles that operate at or near
schools.
This regulation requires the driver of a school bus, school
pupil activity bus, youth bus, general paratransit vehicle,
transit bus, and a commercial motor vehicle to turn off the
engine upon arriving at a school and to restart it no more than
30 seconds before departing. In addition, the regulation
requires a motor carrier of an affected bus or vehicle to ensure
that drivers are informed of the idling requirements, to track
complaints and enforcement actions regarding the requirements,
and to keep records of such driver education and tracking
activities. Specific idling situations where health, safety, or
operational concerns take precedence are exempted from this
regulation. For example, exemptions are provided for idling in
the midst of traffic; to ascertain safe operating conditions of
a bus or vehicle; for test, service, repair, or diagnostic
purposes; to accomplish work, other than transportation, for
which a vehicle was designed (e.g., controlling cargo
temperature or operating a lift, drill, etc.); to operate
equipment needed by persons with disabilities and heaters or air
conditioners for special needs children; to operate defrosters
or other equipment to prevent a safety or health emergency; and
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to recharge a hybrid electric bus or vehicle. The minimum fine
for violating this regulation is $300.
This resolution encourages all motorists not to idle their motor
vehicles near place where children gather.
Previous legislation: SB 124 (Oropeza), Chapter 561, Statutes
of 2009, acknowledged existing state regulations that limit
school bus idling and idling near schools, and sets forth a
minimum penalty for a violation of this rule.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
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