BILL NUMBER: AB 501	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 21, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 15, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 25, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 22, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Levine
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Bigelow,   Bloom,   Gallagher,  
Gomez,   Lopez,   Olsen,   Ting, 
 and Wood   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 23, 2015

   An act to add Section 423.6 to the Government Code, relating to
state emblems.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 501, as amended, Levine. State fabric.
   Existing law declares the official state animal, rock, mineral,
grass, insect, bird, and marine fish, among other things.
   This bill would make denim the official state fabric.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Denim is a sturdy cotton twill fabric. To create denim fabric,
horizontal threads pass under two or more vertical threads. However,
denim is much more than just a fabric. Denim's history is interwoven
with California history from the 1850s through today.
   (b) Since the 17th century through the present day, denim has been
used to make upholstery, tents, blankets, wagon covers, and of
course, pants known as jeans.
   (c) Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco during the Gold
Rush Era, and in May 1873, the United States Patent and Trademark
Office approved patent number 139,121 for the invention of jeans.
   (d) The history of denim jeans parallels the history of
California. At first, jeans were designed as practical working
clothes. They eventually became a symbol of American culture. Jeans
have been worn by gold miners, cowboys, farm workers, rock stars,
 "hippies,"   beatniks, hippies,  and
people of all walks of life. Jeans were featured in the first
Hollywood silent films and became an iconic costume in a variety of
genres, especially westerns and war films.
   (e) Today, California is responsible for about 75 percent of the
premium denim jeans sold throughout the world. The industry employs
more than 200,000 people in southern California alone, making it the
largest fashion manufacturing hub in the United States. Denim jeans
can be found in the wardrobes of 96 percent of American consumers
who, on average, own seven pairs. Denim jeans represent an estimated
$60 billion global market for retailers.
   (f) Celebrities, music artists, models, business people, and
Californians of all ages continue to wear denim. Jeans have become
the uniform for several companies in the technology industry in
Silicon Valley. Prominent technology companies developed genius
innovations while working in a garage wearing comfortable denim
jeans.
   (g)  Denim companies have used their brands to positively
impact the global community by spreading   Through
corporate social responsibility initiatives, companies spread 
awareness about gender equality, climate change, fair trade,
workplace equality, and a variety of other contemporary issues.
   (h) Several denim companies are now looking into the future and
making sustainability a core principal of its business model.
California's denim industry has worked to shrink its carbon 
footprint and combat drought.   and water footprints.

  SEC. 2.  Section 423.6 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   423.6.  Denim is the official state fabric.