Medical waste.
Summary
(1) Under existing law, the Medical Waste Management Act, the State Department of Public Health regulates the disposal of medical waste. The act requires specified biohazard materials to be disposed of in biohazard bags and requires specified treatment for medical waste. Transportation, storage, treatment, or disposal of medical waste in a manner not authorized by the act is a crime. Existing law defines specified terms for purposes of the Medical Waste Management Act, including "biohazard bag." Existing law defines a biohazard bag to mean a film bag that is impervious to moisture. Existing law requires the film bags that are used for transport to be marked and certified by the manufacturer as having passed specified tests prescribed for tear resistance and for impact resistance. This bill would revise the definition of "biohazard bag" and would limit the application of the requirement that film bags used for transport be marked and certified by the manufacturer as having passed specified tests only to those film bags that are used for transport from the generator's facility onto roadways and into commerce to a treatment and disposal facility. The bill would revise the requirements for biohazard bags that are used to collect medical waste within a facility, as specified. (2) Existing law requires a hazardous waste transporter or generator transporting medical waste to maintain a completed shipping document in compliance with the United States Department of Transportation and a tracking document if the waste is transported to a facility other than the final medical waste treatment facility. This bill would instead require a hazardous waste transporter that transports medical waste to maintain a tracking document in compliance with specified requirements for purposes of tracking medical waste from the point when the waste leaves the generator facility until the waste receives final treatment. The bill would also require the tracking document to be maintained only by hazardous waste transporters, and not by generators transporting waste. The bill would also make conforming changes. (3) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2015
Committee Review
Sep 2015
Senate Passage
Sep 2015
Assembly Passage
Aug 2015
Signed into Law
Sep 2015
Introduced Feb 13, 2015
Signed Sep 28, 2015
Floor votes · Senate Sep 4, 2015 · Assembly Aug 27, 2015
How they voted
31–0
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 35
Sep 4, 2015
D
Democratic24
87% Yea
R
Republican11
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
32
Key actions
8
Committee
16
Amendments
1
Sep 28, 2015
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor.
legislature
Sep 4, 2015
Upper · Passed
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 2494.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
upper
Sep 4, 2015
Upper · Passed
Urgency clause adopted.
upper
Sep 3, 2015
Upper · Passed
From committee: That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 2487.)
upper
Aug 31, 2015
Committee
From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on E.Q. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 2273.) Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
upper
Aug 31, 2015
Committee
Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d).
upper
Aug 27, 2015
Assembly · Passed
Assembly Vote: pass (73-0-2)
assembly
Aug 27, 2015
Introduced
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
upper
Aug 19, 2015
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (August 19).
lower
Aug 17, 2015
Committee
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
lower
Jul 2, 2015
Committee
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
lower
Jul 1, 2015
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 30).
lower
Jun 23, 2015
Committee
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.S. & T.M.
lower
Jun 15, 2015
Committee
From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on E.S. & T.M. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 15). Re-referred to Com. on E.S. & T.M.
lower
Jun 11, 2015
Committee
Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.
lower
Jun 8, 2015
Committee
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
lower
Jun 4, 2015
Committee
Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
lower
Apr 27, 2015
Upper · Passed
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
upper
Apr 16, 2015
Committee
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 649.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
upper
Feb 26, 2015
Committee
Referred to Com. on E.Q.
upper
Feb 13, 2015
Introduced
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Bob Wieckowski
DDemocratic
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 225
Scope: CA
Hi! I can help you understand SB 225. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline