California Assembly Bill AB1234 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1234AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Skinner FEBRUARY 27, 2009  An act relating to energy.   An act to add Section 9125 to the Government Code, relating to the State Capitol.  LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1234, as amended, Skinner.  Energy: smart buildings.   State Capitol: modernization plan.   Existing law requires the Historic State Capitol Commission to prepare, complete, and amend a comprehensive master plan for the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of the historic State Capitol and to review and advise the Legislature on any development, improvement, or other physical change in any aspect of the historic State Capitol. In carrying out these duties and responsibilities, the commission is required to follow specified standards for the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of historic structures.   This bill would require the Department of General Services to submit to the Legislature, by January 1, 2011, a State Capitol: Smart Building Modernization Plan that would be required to include certain elements. The department would be required to develop the plan in consultation with the commission and to ensure the plan is consistent with the commission's master plan. The department would be required to coordinate the development and implementation of the capitol plan with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and to implement the plan, by January 1, 2012, if the Department of General Services makes a specified determination.   Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to promulgate regulations of building design and construction standards, and energy and water conservation design standards to reduce the wasteful, uneconomic, inefficient, or unnecessary consumption of energy. Existing law creates the Strategic Growth Council and requires the council to take certain actions with regard to coordinating programs of member state agencies to improve air and water quality, improve natural resource protection, increase the availability of affordable housing, improve transportation, meet the goals of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, encourage sustainable land use planning, and revitalize urban and community centers in a sustainable manner.   This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to smart buildings and the promotion of energy savings and management.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:   (a) According to the federal Department of Energy, commercial and residential buildings consume 40 percent of the nation's energy and 70 percent of electrical consumption per year and account for 40 percent of greenhouse gas carbon emissions.   (b) During the next 25 years, the United States Green Building Council has determined that carbon emissions from commercial buildings are expected to grow faster than any other sector of the economy, including transportation.   (c) In California, 72 percent of the state's 13 million residential buildings and over 5 billion square feet of commercial structures were built before the implementation of the energy efficiency requirements in the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations).   (d) While Title 24 has improved building efficiency by more than 50 percent, smart building technologies have advanced in the past decade and have not been applied to existing buildings in a comprehensive manner.   (e) Further, energy efficiency accounts for more than 15 percent of the greenhouse gas emission reductions identified by the State Air Resources Board in implementing the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).   (f) Existing buildings account for approximately 85 percent of all construction dollars spent.   (g) Modernizing existing buildings, including state buildings, therefore offers one of the best opportunities to reduce energy demand and greenhouses gas emissions in our state.   (h) The California State Capitol Building currently houses the Legislature, the office of the Governor, and other executive offices.   (i) The intent of this act is to ensure that all the users of the State Capitol Building are provided with the latest, advanced technology needed to consume significantly less energy and emit fewer emissions than are currently consumed.   SEC. 2.   Section 9125 is added to the   Government Code   , to read:   9125. (a) On or before January 1, 2011, the Department of General Services shall submit to the Legislature, pursuant to the process specified in subdivision (b), a State Capitol: Smart Building Modernization Plan that shall include all of the following elements: (1) The plan shall combine advanced technology to address energy management by all end users. (2) The plan shall provide for advanced building automation that significantly reduces energy consumption. (3) The plan shall include wireless capabilities and telecommunications, using advanced technology, including allowing for public testimony via remote government sites. (4) The plan shall be developed so that it may be considered a model for adoption in all state buildings incorporating the technologies based on the results of the plan. (5) The plan shall include a public educational demonstration for visitors, including students, who tour the State Capitol, to learn about smart buildings. (b) (1) The Department of General Services shall develop the plan in consultation with the Historic State Capital Commission created by Section 9149.2 and shall ensure the plan is consistent with the master plan adopted by the commission pursuant to Section 9149.7. (2) The plan shall be developed in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 28 of Article IV of the California Constitution. (3) The Department of General Services shall coordinate the development and implementation of the plan with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, as the provider of energy to all state buildings in the Sacramento region. (c) On or before January 1, 2012, the Department of General Services shall implement the plan, if the Department of General Services determines that negotiations between the Department of General Services and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District provide for utilizing existing state utility payments to fund the costs of implementation of the plan.   SECTION 1.   It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to smart buildings and the promotion of energy savings and management.