This week, several RCRC-supported measures passed out of policy committees and now head to their respective Appropriations Committees and Floors for action before the January 31 deadline for two-year bills to pass the house of origin.
RCRC-sponsored SB 299 (Cabaldon) exempts day care centers in residential areas from the California Environmental Quality Act. Napa County Supervisor Liz Alessio provided compelling testimony about local experiences in the Senate Human Services Committee while Courtney Jensen, representing the Low Income Investment Fund, talked about the need for additional day care centers and the role they play in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Read RCRC’s letter HERE.
Senate Bill 501 (Allen), co-sponsored by RCRC, the National Stewardship Action Council, and the Resource Recovery Coalition of California also passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. That bill adds medium-format batteries between 3 and 25lbs to the state’s battery recycling program. Local governments are having to manage and dispose of an ever-increasing number of these rechargeable batteries often found in e-bikes, scooters, hoverboards, and other products. The bill will help shift the costs of managing those products from local government household hazardous waste (HHW) programs to the manufacturers that introduce them into the stream of commerce. Read RCRC’s letter HERE.
RCRC-supported AB 762 (Irwin) bans the sale of single-use vapes in California. Vapes are extremely challenging and expensive for local HHW programs to manage and dispose. Reusable and rechargeable vapes are already on the market at similar price points and are far less expensive and dangerous for local governments to handle. Read RCRC’s letter HERE.
Finally, RCRC also supported SB 758 (Umberg) in the Senate Public Safety Committee. This measure bans the sale of nitrous oxide by tobacco retailers and reschedules kratom as a controlled substance. SB 758 is sponsored by the League of California Cities and the California Narcotics Officers Association. Read RCRC’s letter HERE.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Consultant, John Kennedy.