BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 496
Page A
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
496 (Rendon)
As Amended May 28, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Education |7-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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AB 496
Page B
SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to
identify available sources of funding to fund school water quality
and infrastructure. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the CDE to consult with the State Water Resources
Control Board's (SWRCB) Division of Drinking Water Programs to
identify available sources of funding, including, but not
limited to, funding from Proposition 1, approved by the voters
at the November 4, 2014, statewide General Election; funds for
safe drinking water programs administered by the CDE, the
Department of Public Health, the Department of Water Resources,
and the SWRCB; other state funding; and federal funding
available to fund school water quality and infrastructure.
2)Requires the CDE to post the information collected on the CDE's
Internet Web site.
3)Authorizes the CDE to receive funds transferred from any
available state and federal source, to be allocated by the CDE
to school districts for the purpose of complying with the
requirement for schools to provide access to free, fresh
drinking water during meal time.
4)Authorizes school districts to use funds received for water
quality projects including, but not limited to, water treatment,
water facilities restructuring, water filling stations, and
maintenance of water facilities.
5)Finds and declares that recent studies show that unsafe drinking
water plagues school water systems at a startling rate, that
some schools have sealed pipes and turned off drinking fountains
due to lead piping and other water system contaminants, and that
schools need a one-stop shop where information and funding is
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available for clean drinking water programs.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, General Fund administrative cost to CDE of
approximately $400,000, to research available resources, consult
with the appropriate outside agencies and perform other
administrative tasks related to the identification and provision
of funds for school water quality and infrastructure.
COMMENTS: Access to free, fresh water. Current law requires
school districts to provide free, fresh drinking water during meal
times in the food service areas. A school district may provide
cups and containers of water or bottled water to comply with this
requirement. The goal of this bill is to reduce the consumption
of sugar-sweetened beverage while increasing the consumption of
water in an effort to reduce obesity among children. According to
a 2012 study on the water access law conducted by researchers at
the University of California, San Francisco, in conjunction with
the California Food Policy Advocates and ChangeLab Solutions, one
in four schools had not complied with the law in 2011. Of those
that did comply, drinking fountains were cited as the most common
source of free drinking water in schools. One of the reasons
cited by schools for not complying was concerns about water safety
and quality. Among others, the report recommended facilitating
and supporting the development of good models for purchase,
installation, and maintenance of a range of water delivery
systems, from short-term solutions to permanent solutions, and
requiring annual water-quality testing at the tap of every
school's drinking water.
What does this bill do? This bill requires the CDE to consult
with the SWRCB to identify available funding sources that schools
can access to improve drinking water quality. Some of the funding
sources the CDE is required to explore include Proposition 1, the
water bond passed by voters in November 2014, which provided $520
million for expenditures, grants, and loans for projects that
AB 496
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improve water quality or help provide clean, safe, and reliable
drinking water to all Californians. The bill also requires the
CDE to post the information on its Internet Web site.
Water quality in schools. According to an Associated Press
evaluation of data from the Environmental Protection Agency,
schools in California reported the most federal drinking water
violations from 1998 to 2008 in schools with their own water
supplies. The contaminant most frequently identified in water was
coliform bacteria, followed by lead and cooper, arsenic and
nitrates.<1> According to the SWRCB, while the "majority of
Californians are drinking water that meets water quality
standards, many small water systems, both that serve residential
communities as well as noncommunity facilities, such as factories
and rural schools, struggle to achieve compliance.<2>" Small
water systems have difficulties with upgrading treatment
facilities due to costs.
The author states, "Limited funding and a growing list of needs to
repair school infrastructure causes clean drinking water to fall
to the wayside. School districts may be unaware of various State
and federal funding streams available to them. Districts need a
one-stop shop where information and funding is available for clean
drinking water programs. Even if water from a local utility is
clean, contamination happens as chemicals such as copper, lead,
and arsenic seep into water supplies from school facilities.
Water served in cafeterias or school water fountains may contain
these harmful chemicals."
----------------------------
<1>
"Drinking Water Unsafe at Thousands of Schools," Associated
Press, September 25, 2009.
<2> "Safe Drinking Water Plan for California (draft)," State Water
Resources Control Board, October 2014.
AB 496
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Analysis Prepared by:
Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0000784