BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 20
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 17, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 20 (Padilla) - As Amended: August 15, 2011
Policy Committee: HealthVote:13 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill conforms California's current restaurant menu labeling
laws to federal law. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires every food facility subject to federal law or subject
to state law as it read on July 1, 2011, to comply with the
requirements of federal law and all subsequent regulations.
2)Makes a violation of this bill an infraction punishable by a
fine in an amount that varies based on the nature of the
violation.
3)Prohibits a food facility from being found to have committed a
violation under this bill more than once during an inspection
visit.
FISCAL EFFECT
There are no significant costs associated with this legislation.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . Subsequent to the passage of California's menu
labeling law, federal health care reform legislation requires
restaurants with 20 or more locations to disclose certain
nutritional information on their menus. This legislation
conforms the state's existing law to the new federal law.
2)Background . The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA) (Public Law 111-148), among other things, requires
SB 20
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restaurants or similar retail establishments with 20 or more
locations, doing business under the same name and offering for
sale substantially the same menu items, to disclose certain
nutritional information for standard menu items. The law also
requires operators of 20 or more vending machines to provide
signs disclosing the number of calories for food items in the
machines when the Nutrition Facts Panel cannot be viewed by
the purchaser.
3)Related Legislation . SB 1420 (Padilla) Statutes of 2008,
required restaurant chains with at least 19 branches
(including franchises) to make specific nutrition information
available for all standard menu items.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081