BILL ANALYSIS �
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2740|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2740
Author: Bonilla (D), et al.
Amended: 4/24/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMM. : 8-0, 6/23/14
AYES: Lieu, Wyland, Berryhill, Corbett, Galgiani, Hernandez,
Hill, Torres
NO VOTE RECORDED: Block
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/8/14 (Consent) - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home
Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill subjects the powers and duties of the
Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and
Thermal Insulation (Bureau) to review by the appropriate policy
committees of the Legislature as if these provisions were
scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2019; and requests the
Bureau to report on specified issues by March 1, 2015.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
CONTINUED
AB 2740
Page
2
1.Establishes the Bureau within the Department of Consumer
Affairs (DCA), and places the Bureau under the supervision and
control of the DCA Director.
2.Establishes a Chief of the Bureau who is appointed by the
Governor, subject to confirmation of the Senate, and provides
that the Chief shall serve under the direction and supervision
of the Director and at the pleasure of the Governor, and
authorizes the Chief to carry out every power or duty imposed
upon the Director relative to the Bureau's activities.
3.Licenses and regulates electronic, and appliance repair
dealers and service contract sellers and administrators, under
the Electronic and Appliance Repair Dealer Registration Law by
the Bureau.
4.Licenses and regulates manufacturers, sellers, importers,
upholsterers, and sanitizers of home furnishings, including
upholstered furniture and bedding and thermal insulation under
the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act by the Bureau.
This bill:
1.Subjects the powers and duties of the Bureau to review by the
appropriate policy committees of the Legislature as if these
provisions were scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2019.
2.Makes legislative findings and declarations relating to the
Bureau's creation, jurisdiction, and the joint sunset
oversight hearing, and to issues and recommendations that were
raised regarding the Bureau, including:
A. Reporting on the Bureau's long-term fiscal outlook and
any planned efforts to increase revenues and reduce
expenditures;
B. Advising the committees on its pro rata costs and
whether the Bureau could achieve cost savings by handling
more consumer complaints in house;
C. Examining the pros and cons of biennial license renewals
for licensees of the Bureau;
D. Conducting market condition assessments for the
CONTINUED
AB 2740
Page
3
electronic, and appliance repair and home furnishings and
thermal insulation markets to determine if existing law
reflects the needs of the markets, where risk to consumers
is greatest, where resources could be refocused or
expanded, and whether continued regulation is necessary
across all segments of these markets;
E. Considering whether the Bureau should consolidate any of
its license categories, and whether it should continue to
regulate, or issue, standalone sanitizer and custom
upholsterer licenses;
F. Reexamining product testing protocols to ensure it has
the information it needs to identify areas of highest risk
to consumers, and reexamining product standards to
determine if some standards could be relaxed, when there is
no appreciable impact on consumer safety, or if standards
should be better clarified or advertised, or if penalties
for violations are too low to act as a proper deterrent;
and
G. Updating the committees on implementation of DCA's
BreEZe system.
1.States that it is the intent of the Legislature that the
Bureau examine and respond to the issues and recommendations
identified in the Sunset background paper, and report back to
the committees by March 1, 2015, with its findings.
Background
In 2014, the Senate Business, Professions and Economic
Development Committee and the Assembly Business, Professions and
Consumer Protection Committee conducted joint oversight hearings
to review nine regulatory entities, among them the Bureau.
The committees began their review of the licensing agencies in
March 2014 and conducted two days of hearings. This bill, and
the accompanying sunset bills, are intended to implement
legislative changes as recommended by the committees and which
are reflected in the Background Papers prepared by committee
staff for each agency and program reviewed by the committees for
this year.
CONTINUED
AB 2740
Page
4
Note: For details on the issues, background, and
recommendations, refer to the Senate
Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee
analysis of 6/23/14.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/8/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon,
Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande,
Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A.
P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Eggman, Gorell, Gray, Hall, Mansoor, V.
Manuel P�rez, Vacancy
MW:e 8/5/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
**** END ****
CONTINUED