Bills

SB 642: Hazardous materials: enforcement: county counsel.

  • Session Year: 2023-2024
  • House: Senate
  • Latest Version Date: 2023-09-01

Current Status:

Passed

(2023-09-01: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 154, Statutes of 2023.)

Introduced

In Committee

First Chamber

In Committee

Second Chamber

Enacted

What does this bill do?

This bill lets county counsel, along with city attorneys, district attorneys, and the Attorney General, file civil lawsuits on behalf of the people to stop and enforce laws about hazardous materials, including waste generation, transport and disposal, business and area emergency plans, underground and aboveground storage tanks, and medical waste. It also requires that when a county counsel or a district attorney files one of these cases they notify the district attorney or county counsel in the county where the violation occurred within seven days.

The summary is provided by generative AI which can make mistakes. For original language, please view the details in the table below.

Version:

Existing law regulates the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials. Existing law authorizes the city attorney, district attorney, and the Attorney General, at the request of the Department of Toxic Substances Control or a unified program agency, to bring an action seeking to enjoin a violation of laws and regulations governing the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials. Existing law specifies that every civil action brought at the request of the department or a unified program agency is to be brought by the city attorney, the county attorney, the district attorney, or the Attorney General in the name of the people of the State of California and that those actions relating to the same processing or disposal of hazardous waste may be joined or consolidated.

This bill would authorize the county counsel to bring an action seeking to enjoin a violation of laws and regulations governing the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials. The bill would specify that county counsel, at the request of the department or a unified program agency, is authorized to bring a civil action in the name of the people of the State of California to enforce laws and regulations governing the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials.

Existing law requires certain businesses that handle hazardous materials to prepare a business and area plan relating to the handling and release or threatened release of hazardous materials and authorizes the city attorney, district attorney, and Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these requirements. Existing law regulates the operation of underground storage tanks and aboveground storage tanks and authorizes the city attorney, district attorney, and the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these requirements. Existing law regulates the handling, storage, and disposal of medical waste and authorizes the city attorney, district attorney, and the Attorney General to bring an action to enforce these requirements.

This bill would authorize the county counsel to bring an action to enforce the requirements related to the business and area plans, underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks, or medical waste.

This bill would, if a county counsel or the district attorney brings an action described above, require the county counsel or district attorney, within 7 days of the filing of the action, to give notice to the district attorney or county counsel, as applicable, of the related county and would make various conforming changes.

Discussed in Hearing

Senate Floor 4MIN
Aug 17, 2023

Senate Floor

Assembly Floor 3MIN
Jul 13, 2023

Assembly Floor

Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary 7MIN
Jun 27, 2023

Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary

Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials 14MIN
Jun 20, 2023

Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Senate Floor 6MIN
May 11, 2023

Senate Floor

Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary 23MIN
Apr 11, 2023

Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary

Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality 26MIN
Mar 29, 2023

Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality

View Older Hearings
Authors shown for version:
Chaptered (9/1/2023)

Bill Author