BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1358
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Date of Hearing: August 6, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
SB 1358 (Wolk and Lara) - As Amended: August 5, 2014
Policy Committee: B&P Vote:10-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Building Standards Commission (BSC)
to adopt standards mandating the installation of baby diaper
changing accommodations for restrooms in public use areas in the
case of new construction or renovation costing $10,000 or more.
This standard would be included in the next triennial addition
of the California Building Standards Code, to be adopted in
2016.
FISCAL EFFECT
Any costs for the BSC to develop the standards will be minor and
absorbable.
The term "public use areas," as defined in the state building
code, includes both privately and publicly-owned buildings.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that costs to purchase and install a
diaper changing station as a part of new construction may be in
the range of $1,000 to $2,000 per station. Total state costs
would depend on the number of state buildings constructed in a
single year, the number of restrooms in those buildings that are
accessible to the public, and similarly to the number of
accessible restrooms renovated in existing state buildings.
These costs are unknown but would likely not be significant in
any fiscal year and would be borne by numerous different state
funds. Any costs to local governments to complete with the
bill's requirement would not be state reimbursable.
COMMENTS
1) Purpose . According to the author's office, "Currently,
parents who change their babies' diapers while away from
SB 1358
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home often find the availability of public restrooms
problematic. Parents may be forced to change their babies'
diapers on dirty bathroom floors, posing a health risk to
the child. Changing the baby in the parents' personal
vehicle is not an option for families that rely on public
transit. Also, given the trend of fair distribution of
parenting responsibilities, as compared with four decades
ago, baby changing tables should be available in both men's
and women's restrooms."
2) Background . The BSC, located within the Department of
General Services, was established in 1953 to review and
approve building standards and codify and publish those
standards every three years. Starting in 1989, the
Commission has published triennial editions of the Code in
their entirety every three years. Title 24 is available
for purchase or to the public at no cost through depository
libraries. The last published version of the Code was in
2013.
3) Related Legislation . SB 1350 (Lara and Wolk), also on
today's committee agenda, is a similar bill. SB 1350,
however, does not apply to public buildings and does not
make installation of diaper changing fixtures mandatory,
but does requires that, if installed, a changing station
fixture be equally available regardless of the gender for
which a restroom was designed.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081