BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 241
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 19, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                     SB 241 (Runner) - As Amended:  July 1, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              HealthVote:18 - 0  


          Urgency:     Yes                  State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill makes a number of technical and clarifying changes to  
          food safety laws governing retail food facilities regulated  
          under the California Retail Food Code (CRFC) and establishes a  
          new category of single operating site mobile food facilities  
          (MFFs) subject to the CRFC. For example, this bill: 

          1)Revises the definition of egg, egg shell, prepackaged food,  
            vermin, and cold water to make them consistent with the  
            federal food code.

          2)Clarifies that premises set aside for wine tasting are exempt  
            from the definition of food facility, if no food, other than  
            crackers, are served, or beverages, other than bottles of wine  
            and prepackaged non-potentially hazardous beverages, are sold  
            for onsite consumption.  

          3)Requires the owner of a food facility or the food safety  
            certified employee to direct food employees to report if a  
            food employee is diagnosed with a specified illness to the  
            person in charge. 

          4)Requires the designated person in charge at all times when a  
            food facility is in operation and all food employees to have  
            knowledge of, and be properly trained in, safe food handling  
            practices as they relate to their assigned duties.

           FISCAL EFFECT  


          Minor, if any, nonreimbursable local incarceration costs as this  








                                                                  SB 241
                                                                  Page  2

          bill changes the definition of an existing crime. 


           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill, sponsored by the California Retail Food  
            Safety Coalition, is designed to make technical changes to the  
            CRFC that were inadvertently omitted when the California  
            Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law was repealed and recast as  
            CRFC. 

           2)Related Legislation  . In 2008, SB 1359 (Runner), a  
            substantially similar bill, was vetoed due to the late passage  
            of the 2008-09 budget.  In the message the governor wrote, "I  
            am only signing bills that are the highest priority for  
            California. This bill does not meet that standard and I cannot  
            sign it at this time." 

            SB 744 (Runner; Chapter 96, Statutes of 2007) made various  
            technical, clarifying, and nonsubstantive changes to the CRFC.  


            SB 144 (Runner; Chapter 23, Statutes of 2006) repealed CURFFL,  
            and effective July 1, 2007, recasted, expanded and revised its  
            provisions into the CRFC to govern all aspects of retail food  
            sanitation in California. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081