State contracting: global deforestation.

The State Contract Act governs the bidding and award of public works contracts by specific state departments and requires an awarding department, before entering into any contract for a project, to prepare full, complete, and accurate plans and specifications and estimates of cost. The Buy Clean California Act, requires, among other things, the Department of General Services, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to establish a maximum acceptable global warming potential for each category of eligible materials, as specified. That law requires an awarding authority, as defined, to require a successful bidder to submit a current Environmental Product Declaration developed in accordance with specified standards, for that type of product. This bill would provide that it is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that provides that the policy of the state is to ensure that companies that contract with the state are not contributing to tropical deforestation, either directly or through their supply chains.