BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1411| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- THIRD READING Bill No: AB 1411 Author: Eduardo Garcia (D) Amended: 7/8/15 in Senate Vote: 21 SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORG. COMMITTEE: 10-3, 7/14/15 AYES: Hall, Block, Gaines, Galgiani, Glazer, Hernandez, Hill, Hueso, Lara, McGuire NOES: Berryhill, Runner, Vidak SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8 ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-3, 6/3/15 - See last page for vote SUBJECT: Fire protection: type 1 clothes dryers SOURCE: California State Firefighters Association DIGEST: This bill requires the State Fire Marshal (SFM), on or before December 31, 2016, to work with fire service entities, the appliance industry, disability advocates, and related stakeholders to gather information regarding type 1 clothes dryer-related fires and the dangers of excessive lint. ANALYSIS: Existing law: 1)Establishes the SFM in the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and requires the SFM to foster, promote, and develop ways and means of protecting life and property against fire and panic. AB 1411 Page 2 2)Requires the SFM to adopt regulations and standards necessary to control the quality and installation of fire alarm systems and devices marketed, distributed, offered for sale, or sold in California. 3)Prohibits a person from marketing, distributing, offering for sale, or selling any fire alarm system or device in this state unless the system or device has been approved or listed by the SFM. This bill: 1)Requires the SFM, on or before December 31, 2016, to work with fire service entities, the appliance industry, disability advocates, and related stakeholders to accomplish all of the following: a) Gather information regarding type 1 clothes dryer-related fires and the dangers of excessive lint. b) Provide findings and recommendations to the Legislature regarding the information gathered. c) Encourage the appropriate clothes dryer fire prevention standard setting entity to amend an appropriate voluntary national safety standard to improve fire safety, and to include provisions based on any recommendations that will reduce the likelihood of lint-related clothes dryer fires. 2)Defines "type 1 clothes dryer" as an appliance used in a residential living environment, including one that is coin-operated for public use in a residential living environment. 3)Specifies that "type 1 clothes dryer" does not include dryers used for commercial purposes. 4)Includes a repeal date of January 1, 2017. 5)Makes Legislative findings and declarations. Background Purpose of the bill. According to the author, "lint is a highly combustible material. When it accumulates in excess in a AB 1411 Page 3 dryer's filter, heat from the dryer can cause it to ignite, starting a fire that quickly spreads throughout the house. Keeping the machine clean, and having it regularly serviced, can help prevent a dryer fire, but it's hard to tell when a dangerous amount of lint has built up." The author further argues that, "detection technology exists today that monitors the build-up of highly combustible lint inside the dryer, and alerts consumers with a light and an alarm sound when accumulation reaches dangerous levels and the dryer interior requires cleaning or servicing. Unfortunately, no regulations or standards currently require this technology in clothes dryers. To address this problem, AB 1411 would coordinate stakeholders together to study this problem and provide recommendations to the Legislature regarding a solution to prevent future fires resulting from lint accumulation." Type 1 Dryers. Type 1 dryers are domestic dryers, which are primarily used in residences, individual apartments or condominiums. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), lint and other debris can build up in a dryer's hose and vent duct, reducing airflow, backing up exhaust gases and eventually creating a fire. In addition, many newer homes tend to have dryers located away from an outside wall: in bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and hall closets. This results in longer dryer venting conduit hidden in walls and ceilings. This increases the risk of lint accumulations inside inaccessible areas. The dryer has to work harder to force the air up the wall, across the ceiling to the outside exhaust hood. Cleaning the lint trap after every use will only remove a portion of lint generated. Over time, even with proper care, lint will collect inside a dryer's lint filter housing and restrict the airflow, increasing the risk of overheating and fires. When an obstruction builds up in the vent line, it reduces the airflow of the dryer. Once the airflow of the dryer becomes reduced, the dryer can overheat and induce a fire. According to the NFPA, in 2010 an estimated 16,800 reported U.S. non-confined or confined home structures fires involved clothes dryers or washing machines resulted in 51 civilian deaths, 380 civilian injuries and $236 million in direct property damage in the Unites States. The NFPA also states that clothes dryers accounted for 92% of the fires and the leading cause of home clothes dryer and washer fires was failure to clean, at AB 1411 Page 4 approximately 32 %. Prior/Related Legislation SB 763 (Leno, 2015) requires a juvenile product manufacturer, as defined, to include a label indicating whether the product has added flame retardant chemicals, and requires the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishing and Thermal Insulation to ensure compliance with labeling and documentation requirements, as specified. (Pending in Assembly Appropriations Committee) SB 1019 (Leno, Chapter 862, Statutes of 2014) required an upholstered furniture manufacturer to indicate on the product label whether or not a product contains added flame retardant chemicals, by including a specified statement. AB 127 (Skinner, Chapter 579, Statutes of 2013) required the SFM to review the flammability standards for building insulation materials and if deemed appropriate by the SFM based on this review require the SFM to by July 1, 2015, propose updating insulation flammability standards to the Building Standards Commission. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.:YesLocal: No SUPPORT: (Verified8/18/15) California State Firefighters' Association (source) Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers California Council of the Blind California Fire Chiefs Association Consumer Federation of California Home Appliance Manufacturers Humboldt Bay Fire Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of California The McMullen Company, Inc. Personal Insurance Federation of California OPPOSITION: (Verified8/18/18) AB 1411 Page 5 None received ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of California argues that, "household fires impose significant health dangers to residents and community members while presenting substantial financial costs that often wreak havoc on the lives of Californians impacted by these tragedies. A report issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2011 illustrated that 5 percent of all home fires in the United States originate in washers and dryers. However, that number is likely much higher because fires that originate from washers and dryers are commonly identified as simply electrical fires." Supporters further argue that, "AB 1411 is a reasonable solution to a costly problem. This bill ensures that well-crafted standards based on a thorough analysis of existing technology will be developed by December 31, 2016, that provide meaningful safeguards to shield consumers from preventable fires resulting from excessive lint buildup." ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-3, 6/3/15 AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins NOES: Travis Allen, Jones, Mathis NO VOTE RECORDED: Kim, Mayes, Thurmond Prepared by:Felipe Lopez / G.O. / (916) 651-1530 8/20/15 14:39:22 **** END **** AB 1411 Page 6