BILL ANALYSIS
AB 211
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 211 (Mendoza) - As Amended: April 14, 2009
Policy Committee: Education
Vote:11-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires new construction and specified modernization
projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect (DSA),
on or after January 1, 2010, to include locks that allow doors
to classrooms or any room with the occupancy of five or more
persons to be locked from the inside. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the locks to conform to the California Building
Standards (CBS) Code and exempts doors that are locked from
the outside at all times and pupil restrooms from this
requirement.
2)Specifies that this provision only applies to modernization
projects that include rehabilitation in a classroom or any
room with occupancy of five or more persons.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Annual state school construction bond cost pressure, of
approximately $460,000, to require locks that allow doors to
classrooms or any other specified room to be locked from the
inside. According to the State Department of Education, 4,694
classrooms need to be constructed and 7,405 classrooms need to
be modernized annually for the next five years to meet the
state's need.
2)AB 127 (Nunez), Chapter 35, Statutes of 2006, authorized
Proposition 1D: the Kindergarten-University Public Education
Facilities Bond Act of 2006 for $10.416 billion. The voters
passed Proposition 1D on November 7, 2006. Of the $10.416
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billion, $7.329 billion is allocated for K-12 education
facilities. Of this amount, $1.9 billion is for new
construction and $3.3 billion for modernization. As of
February 2009, there is approximately $500 remaining for new
construction and $2 billion remaining for modernization
projects.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . In April 1999, two high school students at Columbine
High School in Columbine, CO used semi-automatic weapons to
kill twelve students, a teacher, and injured twenty-three
others at the high school. The students went through several
rooms in the school, including the cafeteria and library,
shooting students and school staff. Since this time, there
have been numerous incidents of violence taking place at
school sites whether instigated by students or members of the
surrounding neighborhoods.
According to the California Federation of Teachers, the
sponsor of this measure, "Lockdowns, a temporary confinement
of students and staff to classrooms, offices, and other rooms,
during or following the disturbance, have proven an effective
tool to be used at school campuses to facilitate the safety of
both students and staff during a violent situation. Many
school staff store their keys in areas where they do not have
immediate access to them and the door locks in most [areas]
where students and staff gather can only be locked from the
outside." This bill requires all construction and
modernization projects approved by the DSA, on or after
January 1, 2010, to include locks that allow doors to
classrooms or any room with the occupancy of five or more
persons to be locked from the inside.
2)Existing law requires all proposed public school construction
and modernization projects to be approved by DSA, which
reviews architectural plans for compliance with the Field Act
(seismic safety); fire, life and safety requirements, and
specifications under the Americans with Disability Act. DSA
grants reviews projects for compliance with the CBS code, as
specified.
The CBS code prohibits manually operated flush bolts or
surface bolts on all exiting doors except those in residential
dwellings and for storage or equipment rooms. In addition,
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the California Fire code specifies that "exit doors shall be
openable from the inside without the use of a key or any
special knowledge or effort. Exit doors shall not be locked,
chained, bolted, barred, latched or otherwise rendered
unusable. All locking devices shall be of an approved type."
These code requirements ensure that occupants are easily able
to exit a building or classroom in a panic situation, such as
a fire or earthquake.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081