BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 496
Page A
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
496 (Rendon)
As Amended August 31, 2015
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: | 80-0 | (June 3, |SENATE: |40-0 | (September 2, |
| | |2015) | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
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 Department of
Public Health, the Department of Water Resources, and the
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) 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
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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)Specifies that subject to all laws, guidelines, policies, and
criteria applicable to the funds, school districts may 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)Specifies that nothing in this bill affects criteria
established by the SWRCB for funds and funding programs
administered by the SWRCB.
6)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 available for clean drinking water
programs.
The Senate amendments require the CDE to consult with the State
Department of Public Health and the Department of Water
AB 496
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Resources in addition to the SWRCB; specify that school
districts may use funds subject to all laws, guidelines,
policies and criteria applicable to the funds; specify that
nothing in this bill affects the funds and funding programs
administered by the SWRCB; and insert this bill's provisions in
a new code section to avoid chaptering out problems with another
bill.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
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. 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 State Department of Public Health, the Department of
Water Resources, and 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
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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 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
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<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.
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fountains may contain these harmful chemicals."
Analysis Prepared by:
Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0002002