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Measure AB 794
Authors Gabriel  
Subject California Safe Drinking Water Act: emergency regulations.
Relating To relating to safe drinking water.
Title An act to repeal and add Section 116365.03 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to safe drinking water.
Last Action Dt 2025-04-10
State Amended Assembly
Status In Floor Process
Active? Y
Vote Required Majority
Appropriation No
Fiscal Committee Yes
Local Program No
Substantive Changes None
Urgency No
Tax Levy No
Leginfo Link Bill
Actions
2025-06-12     Ordered to inactive file at the request of Assembly Member Gabriel.
2025-05-27     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23     From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 23).
2025-04-23     In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
2025-04-21     Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-10     Read second time and amended.
2025-04-09     From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 8).
2025-03-03     Referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.
2025-02-19     From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.
2025-02-18     Read first time. To print.
Keywords
Tags
Versions
Amended Assembly     2025-04-10
Introduced     2025-02-18
Last Version Text
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Gabriel</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to repeal and add Section 116365.03 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to safe drinking water. </ns0:Title>
		<ns0:RelatingClause>safe drinking water</ns0:RelatingClause>
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			<ns0:Subject>California Safe Drinking Water Act: emergency regulations. </ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act (state act), requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. The state board’s duties include, but are not limited to, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (federal act) and adopting and enforcing regulations. Existing law authorizes the state board to adopt as an emergency regulation, a regulation that is not more stringent than, and is not materially different in substance and effect than, the requirements of a regulation promulgated under the federal act, with a specified exception.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would provide that the authority of the state board to adopt an emergency regulation pursuant to these provisions includes the authority to adopt requirements of a specified federal regulation
			 that was in effect on January 19, 2025, regardless of whether the requirements were repealed or amended to be less stringent. The bill would prohibit an emergency regulation adopted pursuant to these provisions from implementing less stringent drinking water standards, as provided, and would authorize the regulation to include monitoring requirements that are more stringent than the requirements of the federal regulation. The bill would prohibit maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates for maximum contaminant levels adopted as part of an emergency regulation from being more stringent than the maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates of a regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal act.
			 The bill would require, on or before December 31, 2026, the state board to adopt an emergency regulation and to initiate a primary drinking water standard for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as provided. The bill would make other changes to proceedings initiated upon the adoption of an emergency regulation to establish a public health goal and primary drinking water standards, as specified.</html:p>
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		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 116365.03 of the 
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				 is repealed.
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				Section 116365.03 is added to the 
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				, to read:
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								(a)
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								The state board may adopt as an emergency regulation a regulation that is not materially different in substance and effect than the requirements of a regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300f et seq.).
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								(b)
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								The authority of the state board to adopt an emergency regulation under this section includes the authority to adopt requirements of a federal regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that is in effect when the state board adopts the emergency regulation and authority to adopt requirements of a federal regulation that was in effect on January 19, 2025, regardless of whether the requirements were repealed or amended to be less stringent.
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								(c)
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								An emergency regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall not implement less stringent drinking water standards than the requirements of a federal regulation that was in effect on January 19,
						2025. Maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates for those maximum contaminant levels adopted as part of an emergency regulation shall not be more stringent than the maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates of a regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The emergency regulation may include monitoring requirements that are more stringent than the requirements of the federal regulation to the extent those more stringent requirements are not materially different in substance and effect from the requirements of this chapter or regulations implementing this chapter.
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								(d)
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								The adoption of a regulation pursuant to this section is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and general welfare for purposes of Sections 11346.1
						and 11349.6 of the Government Code. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, an emergency regulation adopted by the state board pursuant to this section is hereby exempted from the requirement to describe facts showing the need for immediate action and is not subject to review by the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised by the state board or the implementation of a primary drinking water standard.
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								(e)
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								The adoption of an emergency regulation pursuant to this section is a Class 8 action, within the meaning of Section 15308 of Title 14 of the California
						Code of Regulations.
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								(f)
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								Upon the adoption of an emergency regulation pursuant to subdivision (b), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment shall initiate proceedings to establish a public health goal pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 116365 for any contaminant included in the emergency regulation that does not have a public health goal.
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								(g)
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								Upon the adoption of an emergency regulation pursuant to subdivision (b), the state board shall initiate proceedings to establish primary drinking water standards pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 116365 for all the contaminants included in the emergency regulation that have a public health goal pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 116365. If a contaminant included in the emergency regulation does not have a
						public health goal, then the state board shall initiate proceedings to establish a primary drinking water standard as soon as a public health goal is established for the contaminant under paragraph (f).
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								(h)
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								On or before
						December 31, 2026, the state board shall adopt an emergency regulation and shall initiate a primary drinking water standard for the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances covered by page 32532 in Number 82 of Volume 89 of the Federal Register in a manner that is consistent with this chapter. The timeline to comply with the emergency regulation shall align with the federal regulation cited above.
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Last Version Text Digest Existing law, the California Safe Drinking Water Act (state act), requires the State Water Resources Control Board to administer provisions relating to the regulation of drinking water to protect public health. The state board’s duties include, but are not limited to, enforcing the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (federal act) and adopting and enforcing regulations. Existing law authorizes the state board to adopt as an emergency regulation, a regulation that is not more stringent than, and is not materially different in substance and effect than, the requirements of a regulation promulgated under the federal act, with a specified exception. This bill would provide that the authority of the state board to adopt an emergency regulation pursuant to these provisions includes the authority to adopt requirements of a specified federal regulation that was in effect on January 19, 2025, regardless of whether the requirements were repealed or amended to be less stringent. The bill would prohibit an emergency regulation adopted pursuant to these provisions from implementing less stringent drinking water standards, as provided, and would authorize the regulation to include monitoring requirements that are more stringent than the requirements of the federal regulation. The bill would prohibit maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates for maximum contaminant levels adopted as part of an emergency regulation from being more stringent than the maximum contaminant levels and compliance dates of a regulation promulgated pursuant to the federal act. The bill would require, on or before December 31, 2026, the state board to adopt an emergency regulation and to initiate a primary drinking water standard for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as provided. The bill would make other changes to proceedings initiated upon the adoption of an emergency regulation to establish a public health goal and primary drinking water standards, as specified.