BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1693|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 1693
Author: Ma (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/15/10
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman, Kehoe,
Pavley, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Oropeza
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 4/22/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Frequency of building standard adoption
SOURCE : California Building Industry Association
California Business Properties Association
California State Pipe Trades Council
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Building
Standards Commission to consider building standards
proposed by state agencies at 18-month intervals, as
opposed to annual intervals.
ANALYSIS : The California Building Standards Law
establishes the California Building Standards Commission
(CBSC) and the process for adopting state building
standards. Under this process, relevant state agencies
propose amendments to model building codes, which the CBSC
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must then adopt, modify, or reject. For example, the
Department of Housing and Community Development is the
relevant state agency for residential building standards.
The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development is
responsible for hospitals and clinics, and the Division of
the State Architect is the relevant agencies for schools
and emergency service buildings.
Current law requires CBSC to publish the California
Building Code (Code) in its entirety once every three
years. In intervening years, the law also requires CBSC to
consider building standards proposed by state agencies on
an annual basis and to publish supplements to the Code as
necessary.
This bill requires CBSC to consider building standards
proposed by state agencies at 18-month intervals, as
opposed to annual intervals, within the three-year code
adoption cycles.
Comments
Purpose of the bill . In 1992, the Legislature required
CBSC to adopt building standards on an annual cycle.
Instead of agencies proposing code changes year-round, the
systematized annual cycle made it easier for interested
parties to monitor regulatory changes.
According to the author's office, since that time the Code
has become increasingly complicated in nature, requiring a
large amount of staff time to write and analyze the
changes, most of which are technical in nature. As a
result, it has become increasingly difficult for state
agencies to complete Code amendments within a 12-month
window. The short timeframe also makes it difficult for
state agencies to incorporate public input in the adoption
process and to provide thorough education and training for
builders, architects, and building officials post-adoption,
especially in the current fiscal environment.
Out of growing concern for the potential legal
ramifications associated with a failure to meet the annual
deadline, this bill extends the update cycle by an
additional six months. The sponsors contend that this
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extension will enable participating agencies and
stakeholders to have more time to thoroughly read and
review proposed regulatory changes and will reduce the
number of supplements that the industry and agencies must
purchase to maintain a current printed copy of the Code.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/30/10)
California Building Industry Association (co-source)
California Business Properties Association (co-source)
California State Pipe Trades Council (co-source)
American Council of Engineering Companies - California
American Forest and Paper Association
American Institute of Architects, California Council
Building Owners and Managers Association of California
California Apartment Association
California Building Officials
California Chamber of Commerce
California Forestry Association
California State Council of Carpenters
California State Council of Laborers
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
Fire Vent Safety Association
GreenPlumbers USA
International Council of Shopping Centers
League of California Cities
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties of
California, Commercial Real Estate Development
Association
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of California
Western Wood Preservers Institute
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
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Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal,
Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello,
Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blumenfield, Caballero, Huber, Huffman,
Norby, Vacancy
JJA:mw 6/30/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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