BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       AB 1411|
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                                   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.








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          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  







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          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  







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          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)







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          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


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