BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 930|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 930
Author: Gordon (D), et al.
Amended: 8/25/11 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 5-2, 6/21/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Rubio, Simitian
NOES: Gaines, Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harman, Pavley
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 62-13, 5/16/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California Building Standards Commission
membership
SOURCE : United States Green Building Council
California Advisory Committee
DIGEST : This bill requires that at least one of the
members of the California Building Standards Commission be
experienced and knowledgeable in sustainable building,
design, construction, and operation.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/25/11 delete the requirement
that one of three the public members of the California
Building Standards Commission (BSC) have experience and
knowledge in sustainable building, design, construction,
and operation, and instead allow any member of the BSC meet
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this requirement.
ANALYSIS : The California Building Standards Law
establishes the BSC and the process for adopting state
building standards. Under this process, relevant state
agencies propose amendments to model building codes, which
the BSC 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 agency for schools and
emergency service buildings. Current law requires BSC to
publish the California Building Code in its entirety once
every three years. At the midpoint between each code
adoption cycle, the law also requires BSC to consider
building standard updates proposed by state agencies and to
publish supplements to the code as necessary.
Under current law, the BSC is comprised of 11 members. The
Secretary of State and Consumer Services Agency sits as an
ex-oficio member, and the Governor appoints the remaining
ten members subject to Senate confirmation. Members serve
without compensation for staggered four-year terms. The
Governor must select his/her appointees in accordance with
the following:
1. Four members from specified professions and industries
concerned with building construction, including an
architect; a mechanical, electrical, or fire protection
engineer; a structural engineer; and a licensed
contractor.
2. Three members from among the general public, at least
one of whom shall be a person with physical
disabilities.
3. One member from organized labor in the building trades.
4. One member who is a local building official.
5. One member who is a local fire official.
In addition to these professional affiliations or personal
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characteristics, current law requires that the BSC maintain
certain types of experience. The Governor must ensure that
at least one member of the BSC is experienced and
knowledgeable in barrier free architecture and sensitive to
disabled access issues and that at least one member of the
BSC is experienced and knowledgeable in building energy
efficiency standards.
This bill adds an additional experience mandate by
requiring that at least one member of the BSC be
experienced and knowledgeable in sustainable building,
design, construction, and operation.
Comments
Status of California green building standards . In July
2008 the BSC adopted the first set of green building
standards for California. Many of the standards,
especially with respect to non-residential construction,
were voluntary. In January 2010, the BSC adopted the 2010
California Green Building Standards Code, known as the
CALGreen Code, which contains a greater number of mandated
building features, including:
1. Indoor air standards that will improve air quality and
limit volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and
moisture;
2. A 20 percent reduction in indoor water use;
3. A 50 percent reduction in construction waste;
4. Occupant recycling, maintenance and operation
information; and
5. A comprehensive appendix that contains measures local
government may use to go beyond the mandatory code
minimum in a uniform statewide manner.
The 2010 CALGreen Code took effect on January 1, 2011.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
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SUPPORT : (Verified 8/26/11)
United States Green Building Council California Advisory
Committee (source)
American Wood Council
Build It Green
California Building Industry Association
California Business Properties Association
Sierra Club California
StopWaste.Org
Western Wood Preservers Institute
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the sponsor, United
States Green Building Council California Advisory
Committee, the BSC needs resident expertise in sustainable
design given green building's critical role in the emerging
California economy and the associated benefits of energy
efficiency, environmental health, and job growth. The
BSC's recent implementation of the CALGreen Code makes the
need for members of the BSC to have experience in
sustainable building, design, construction, and operation
more important than ever before. The author's office adds
that while current law prescribes various dedicated sectors
from which members of the BSC shall come, not one of the 11
members must be experienced and knowledgeable in
sustainable building, design, construction, and operation.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 62-13, 5/16/11
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Eng,
Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gordon, Hagman, Halderman, Hayashi, Roger
Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Lara,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning,
Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NOES: Conway, Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Garrick, Grove,
Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Nielsen, Silva,
Wagner
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NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Hall, Harkey, Morrell, Norby
JJA:kc 8/26/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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