BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 305
          Author:   Corbett (D)
          Amended:  5/6/09
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  7-2, 4/29/09
          AYES:  Romero, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado, Padilla,  
            Simitian
          NOES:  Huff, Wyland


           SUBJECT  :    School facilities:  seismic mitigation

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill requires the Office of the State  
          Architect, within its existing resources, to update the  
          seismic safety inventory of school buildings and related  
          report to more accurately identify building deficiencies in  
          school facilities currently being used for public school  
          purposes.  The bill requires the State Allocation Board to  
          use the information from this updated inventory and report  
          to inform the development of eligibility criteria for the  
          Seismic Mitigation Program, as defined.

           ANALYSIS  :    AB 300 (Corbett), Chapter 622, Statutes of  
          1999, required the Department of General Services (DGS) to  
          conduct a seismic safety inventory of California's K-12  
          school buildings.  In 2002, DGS and the Division of State  
          Architect released the report "Seismic Safety Inventory of  
          California Schools."  The report identified 7,537 buildings  
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          that were of 12 construction types, collectively known as  
          Category 2 construction that would not perform well in an  
          earthquake.

          Current law establishes the School Facility Program (SFP)  
          under which the state provides general obligation bond  
          funding for various school construction projects, including  
          new construction, modernization, joint-use facilities, and  
          programs to specifically address the construction needs of  
          overcrowded schools, charter schools, and career technical  
          education facilities.  Proposition 1D (AB 127 [Nunez],  
          Chapter 35, Statutes of 2006), passed by the voters in  
          November 2006, among other things, provided up to $199.5  
          million for seismic mitigation of school facilities that  
          are the most vulnerable Category 2 buildings (as defined in  
          the report submitted pursuant to AB 300) and that pose an  
          unacceptable risk of injury to students during a seismic  
          event.

           Comments

           The State Allocations Board (SAB) adopted regulations for  
          the implementation of the state Seismic Mitigation Program  
          (SMP) which became effective in April 2008.  These  
          regulations establish the specific Category 2 construction  
          types, specify ground shaking factor criteria, require  
          building occupancy by students and teachers, and require  
          districts to submit a structural engineering report  
          identifying building deficiencies in order to be eligible  
          for this funding.  As of March 2009, only two buildings  
          with a total estimated retrofitting cost of $14 million  
          were determined to meet the requirements to qualify for  
          state funding under the SMP.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/20/09)

          California School Boards Association


          DLW:cm  5/20/09   Senate Floor Analyses 








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                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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