California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2037

Introduced by Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review (Frazier (Chair), Achadjian (Vice Chair), Cooley, Hagman, Medina, Quirk-Silva, and Salas)

February 20, 2014

An act to amend Section 12400 of, and to add Section 12401.7 to, the Public Contract Code, relating to public contracts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2037, as introduced, Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review. Environmentally preferable purchasing.

Existing law requires the Department of General Services, in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency, members of the public, industry, and public health and environmental organizations, to provide state agencies with information and assistance regarding environmentally preferable purchasing, as provided. It also requires the department to designate a single point of contact for state agencies, suppliers, and other interested parties to contact regarding environmentally preferable purchasing issues.

This bill would require the department to create a process to track environmentally preferable purchases by a state agency, department, and other state entities, and to annually post specified information regarding these purchases on the department’s Internet Web site.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 12400 of the Public Contract Code is
amended to read:

12400.  

For purposes of this chapter, begin insert “environmentally
preferable purchases” and end insert “environmentally preferable
purchasing” means the procurement or acquisition of goods and
services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and
the environment when compared with competing goods or services
that serve the same purpose. This comparison shall take into
consideration, to the extent feasible, raw materials acquisition,
production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse,
operation, maintenance, disposal, energy efficiency, product
performance, durability, safety, the needs of the purchaser, and
cost.

SEC. 2.  

Section 12401.7 is added to the Public Contract Code,
to read:

12401.7.  

The Department of General Services shall create a
process to track environmentally preferable purchases by a state
agency, department, and other state entities. The department shall
annually post the type, quantity, and dollar amount of these
purchases made within a fiscal year on the department’s Internet
Web site on or before January 1 of the subsequent fiscal year.