BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 576
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Date of Hearing: April 22, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
576 (Ting) - As Introduced February 24, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
Authorizes the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC)
to appoint individuals from the energy and resource professions
AB 576
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to join its building standards advisory panels.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Negligible fiscal impact. Advisory panel members are eligible
for travel expense reimbursement.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, this bill would codify
existing practices to promote the use of energy and resource
efficiency professionals on the CBSC's advisory panels to
"reinforce the state's commitment to sustainable building
standards?[a]s the building code evolves to account for more
energy and resource efficiency measures, it is important to
ensure that the CBSC is able to draw upon the knowledge and
qualifications of experts in the field."
2)Background. The CBSC administers California's building codes.
The commission is comprised of 11 members who represent the
public, building design professions, the building and
construction industry, local government building officials,
fire and safety officials, and labor, and must include at
least one member who is experienced and knowledgeable in
building energy efficiency standards and one member who is
experienced and knowledgeable in sustainable building, design,
construction, and operation. Six code advisory committees
advise the CBSC on proposed building standards. Advisory
committee members are appointed by the CBSC from the design
professions, the building and construction industry, the
affected general public, and interested governmental agencies.
AB 576
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In 2010, CBSC approved the California Green Building Standards
Code (CALGREEN) with which all new buildings in California
must comply. CALGREEN is the nation's first mandatory
statewide green building code adopted and requires all
residential and commercial developers to implement building
standards such as a 20% reduction in indoor water use,
compliance with energy efficiency and use of low-pollutant
emitting construction and finishing materials. CALGREEN is
revisited and updated every three years by the CBSC.
3)Prior Legislation. In 2014, an identical bill (AB 2270, Ting)
was vetoed by the Governor, who argued that the commission was
already required to appoint energy and resource efficiency
professionals.
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081