BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 87
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 4, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 87 (Logue) - As Amended:  April 25, 2011  

          Policy Committee:                              Business and 
          Professions  Vote:                            9 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill deletes provisions allowing a chief or inspector from 
          the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, 
          and Thermal Insulation (Bureau) to take any articles or samples 
          of upholstered furniture or bedding for purposes of analysis. 
          Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Authorizes the Bureau to purchase any article of upholstered 
            furniture or bedding as may be necessary for analysis and 
            requires any manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of that 
            article to sell it to the Bureau at cost.

          2)Requires the Bureau to adopt regulations to implement these 
            provisions.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Costs to pay business owners for upholstered items could exceed 
          $200,000 per year. �Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal 
          Insulation Fund]

           COMMENTS  

           Rationale  . According to the author's office, the intent of this 
          legislation is to ensure that businesses do not incur 
          significant losses when upholstered items are seized for 
          testing. Under existing law, the Bureau is authorized to seize 
          or destroy any furniture or bedding that is deemed non-compliant 
          with current regulations. According to the author, "In several 
          cases, properly tagged items have also been seized for further 
          testing by inspectors, and property owners denied the 








                                                                  AB 87
                                                                  Page  2

          appropriate compensation.  This has created a problem where 
          business owners incur significant financial losses due to 
          enforcement procedures."


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