BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 419
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Date of Hearing: July 13, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 419 (Simitian) - As Introduced: February 16, 2011
Policy Committee: Environmental
Safety and Toxic Materials Vote: 9-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires that a pharmaceutical manufacturer that
legally must submit to the Department of Recycling and Resources
Recovery (Calrecycle) a plan for the proper safe collection and
proper disposal of medical sharps do so using an electronic
format.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor, absorbable costs, if any, to Calrecycle.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The author contends that it is time-consuming, and
therefore more costly than necessary, for Calrecycle to
process, scan and post hardcopy medical sharps management
reports submitted by pharmaceutical manufacturers, which
statute requires Calrecycle to place on its website. The
author intends this bill to make such reports more manageable
and more readily available to consumers and interested
parties.
2)Background. SB 486 (Simitian, Chapter 591, Statutes of 2009)
requires a pharmaceutical manufacturer that sells or
distributes in California medication that is intended to be
self-injected at home by use of a hypodermic needle or similar
device to report annually to the California Integrated Waste
Management Board (CIWMB) or its successor. The plan is to
describe the manufacturer's actions to support the safe
collection and proper disposal of such devices. The statute
also requires such a manufacturer to post a copy of the plan
SB 419
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on its website and CIWMB, or its successor, to post copies of
these plans on its website. According to Calrecycle,
initially, many affected pharmaceutical manufacturers
submitted hard-copy plans, which Calrecycle had to convert
into an electronic format, thereby delaying its posting of the
plan on its website.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081