BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: ab 2270
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: ting
VERSION: 3/28/14
Analysis by: Mark Stivers FISCAL: YES
Hearing date: June 24, 2014
SUBJECT:
Building Standards Commission: advisory panels
DESCRIPTION:
This bill allows the Building Standards Commission to appoint
advisory panel members from the energy- and resource-efficiency
professions.
ANALYSIS:
The California Building Standards Law establishes the Building
Standards Commission (BSC) and the process for adopting state
building codes. The law requires the BSC to adopt a new version
of the California Building Code (CBC) every three years. Under
this process, relevant state agencies begin with a model code
developed by a national code-writing entity and then propose
amendments to the model codes to reflect California's needs and
priorities. These state agencies then submit the package of
proposed building standards to the BSC for the BSC to adopt,
modify, or reject.
Relevant state agencies include the Department of Housing and
Community Development (HCD) for residential building codes, the
Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for
hospitals and clinics, and the Division of the State Architect
for schools and emergency service buildings. Not all buildings
fall under the jurisdiction of a relevant state agency. Most
commercial, industrial, and manufacturing structures are
considered "local buildings," over which local governments may
determine applicable building standards. With respect to green
building standards, however, current law gives BSC the authority
to adopt building standards for these local buildings.
Current law allows the BSC to appoint from the design
professions, the building and construction industry, the
affected general public, and interested governmental agencies
AB 2270 (TING) Page 2
appropriate advisory panels to advise the commission and its
staff with respect to building standards.
This bill additionally allows the BSC to appoint advisory panel
members from the energy- and resource-efficiency professions.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose of the bill . According to the author, the California
Green Building Standards (CALGreen) Code requires all
residential and commercial developers to implement green
building standards, such as a 20% reduction in indoor water
use, compliance with energy efficiency standards promulgated
by the California Energy Commission, and use of
low-pollutant-emitting construction and finishing materials.
As the building standards code evolves to account for more
energy- and resource-efficiency measures, it is important to
ensure that the BSC is able to draw upon the knowledge and
qualifications of experts in the field. Utilizing the
expertise of energy- and resource-efficiency professionals
will help strengthen California's building codes and further
demonstrate California's commitment to sustainable
construction practices.
2.Existing representation . The BSC itself is comprised of 11
members. Under current law, at least one of the members must
be experienced and knowledgeable in building energy-efficiency
standards, and at least one member must be experienced and
knowledgeable in sustainable building design, construction,
and operation.
In addition, the BSC's regulations require the BSC to
establish the following standing code advisory committees:
accessibility; plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and energy
(PEME); building, fire, and other regulations; structural
design/lateral forces; health facilities; and green building.
The BSC already solicits nominations from energy- and
resource-efficiency professions for some advisory committees.
Currently, the BSC is required to solicit nominations for a
voting member of the PEME committee from an
environmental/energy organization and nominations for voting
members of the green building committee who are mechanical or
electrical engineers or energy/building performance
specialists.
As a result, this bill can be seen either as codifying
AB 2270 (TING) Page 3
existing practice or unnecessary.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 73-0
Appr: 17-0
BP&CP: 14-0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday, June 18,
2014.)
SUPPORT: California Municipal Utilities Association
TRANE
OPPOSED: None received.