Last week marked the last chance for California Governor Jerry Brown to sign or veto legislation the California Legislature passed this year. The legislation goes into effect January 1, 2016. Although it was a quiet year for consumer products, several of the new laws are significant. Here is a rundown of relevant bills Governor Brown signed:

AB 888 – Microbead Ban

  • Prohibits a person from selling or offering a personal care product containing plastic microbeads that are used to exfoliate or cleanse in a rinse-off product for promotional purposes on and after Jan. 1, 2020.
  • Contains exemption for product containing less than 1 part per million by weight of plastic microbeads.
  • Authorizes civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day per violation.

AB 1096: Electric Bicycle Requirements

  • Establishes labeling requirements for manufacturers or distributors of electric bicycles.
  • Must affix a label to each bicycle describing its classification number, top assisted speed, and motor wattage.
  • Requires manufacturers to certify compliance with the CPSC bicycle standard.

SB 65 – Labeling Olive Oil

  • Requires that if an olive oil’s label refers to a specific region in California, at least 85 percent of the oil by weight must be from olives grown in that region.
  • This replaces the prior American Viticultural Areas standard, which was 75 percent.
  • If the label has a reference to a specific California estate, then at least 95 percent of the oil by weight must come from olives grown on that estate.

SB 570 – Consumer Notification of Data Breach

  • Proscribes specific notification that companies doing business in California must provide to California residents upon obtaining knowledge of a data breach that includes the residents’ personal information.
  • Provides “model” disclosure.

SB 633 – California “Made in U.S.A.”

  • Permits labeling of consumer products sold in California with “Made in U.S.A.” even if small percentage of product or components are not made domestically, as long as certain conditions are met.
  • We have provided a more complete breakdown of SB 633 here.