AB 429, as introduced, Dahle. Public contracts: preferences: forest products.
Existing law generally requires state agencies to comply with competitive bidding procedures in soliciting and evaluating bids for public works projects. Existing law authorizes bidding preferences for certain categories of business owners, including businesses owned by disabled veterans.
Existing law also requires the Department of General Services, in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency, members of the public, industry, and public health and environmental organizations, to provide state agencies with information and assistance regarding environmentally preferable purchasing.
This bill would require any state agency that contracts for, or acquires, lumber or other solid wood products, excluding paper and other types of secondary manufactured goods, to give preference, if price, fitness, and quality are equal, to lumber and other solid wood products that are harvested from forests within this state.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) It is a priority in California to protect the wildlife, rivers,
4streams, and soil that make up the state’s rich forest ecosystems
5covering 40 percent of the state’s entire land area.
6(b) Forested lands in California do all of the following:
7(1) Provide significant environmental benefits, including serving
8as the source of more than half the state’s supply of drinking water
9and habitat for numerous wildlife and plant species, some of which
10are rare, threatened, or endangered.
11(2) Serve
as the source of extensive recreational opportunities
12for millions of Californians.
13(3) Provide a signature landscape that identifies California to
14people worldwide.
15(4) Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
16replacing it with clean, fresh air. According to the California
17Environmental Protection Agency, forestry is the only sector in
18California that reduces atmospheric carbon. Sequestered carbon
19is stored in the forest in trees, soil, wood debris on the forest floor,
20and in long-lasting products made from harvested wood.
21(c) Forested lands in California also provide the source of raw
22materials for the timber products industry, and a source of jobs for
23those who are employed in that industry. Forested lands in
24California are an essential economic resource in rural communities
25across the state.
26(d) The economic pressures faced by the timber industry, caused
27in part by globalization and imported timber products, have resulted
28in financial losses to the California timber industry and private
29landowners.
30(e) It is appropriate for the State of California to officially
31support the continued economic vitality of the California timber
32products industry by directing its agencies to purchase timber
33products harvested from California, when appropriate.
34(f) A purchasing preference will contribute to stabilizing the
35California timber industry.
36(g) Laws and regulations governing forestry in California
37represent the commitment of the state to strive for the highest
38environmental standards for industrial forestry anywhere in the
P3 1world. The state may express its
preference for timber products
2reflecting that commitment.
3(h) Currently, approximately 70 percent of California’s timber
4products must be imported to meet the demand of the state’s
5population of 38 million people. California’s population is
6projected to increase to 49 million people by 2025, further
7intensifying our consumption of, and demand for, timber products
8from other states and abroad.
9(i) The import and export of goods, including timber products,
10are and will remain part of the state’s economy. The import and
11export of all goods have contributed to the diverse economic base
12of California.
13(j) When price, quality, and fitness are equal and when the
14marketplace provides timber products that are acceptable for use
15by state agencies, the State of California has a responsibility to
16purchase California grown
forest products.
Section 12405 is added to the Public Contract Code,
18to read:
Consistent with all applicable provisions of this code,
20when price, fitness, and quality are equal, any state agency that
21contracts for, or acquires, lumber or other solid wood products,
22excluding paper and other types of secondary manufactured goods,
23shall, if price, fitness, and quality are equal, give preference to
24lumber and other solid wood products that are harvested from
25forests within this state.
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