Product safety: proofs of purchase: intentionally added bisphenols.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not specify how customers are affected, so this group is omitted.

Product Safety: Prohibits Bisphenols in Receipts

This law bans businesses and manufacturers from using bisphenol A (BPA) in paper receipts given to customers starting January 1, 2027, and all intentionally added bisphenols starting January 1, 2028.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in paper proofs of purchase provided by businesses or created by manufacturers after January 1, 2027.
• Expands this prohibition to include all intentionally added bisphenols starting January 1, 2028.
• Sets civil penalties for violations: up to $5,000 for the first violation and up to $10,000 for each subsequent violation.
• Requires manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative when replacing harmful chemicals in receipts.
• Prohibits using other dangerous chemicals as replacements.

Who It Names or Affects

• Businesses that provide paper proofs of purchase or receipts to customers.
• Manufacturers who produce products with paper proofs of purchase.

Terms To Know

Bisphenol A (BPA)

A type of chemical used in some plastics and resins that can be harmful to health.

Paper proofs of purchase

Receipts or other documents given by businesses when a customer buys something.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not address the consequences if bisphenols are accidentally added.
• It is unclear how strictly this law will be enforced and how many violations there might be.
• There may be challenges in identifying all harmful alternatives to bisphenols.

Official Summary Text

AB 1604, as amended, Stefani.
Product safety: proofs of purchase: intentionally added bisphenols.
Existing law prohibits a person from manufacturing, selling, or distributing in commerce any juvenile’s feeding product or juvenile’s sucking or teething product, as defined, that contains any form of bisphenol, as defined, at a detectable level above the practical quantitation limit, as determined by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, except as provided.
This bill would prohibit, on and after January 1, 2027, a paper proof of purchase provided to a consumer by a business or created by a manufacturer from containing intentionally added bisphenol A, as defined, and, on and after January 1, 2028, from containing any intentionally added bisphenols, as defined. The bill would specify that a violation would be punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for a first violation, and not to exceed $10,000 for each subsequent violation.
The bill would require all penalties collected pursuant to this bill to be deposited into the Toxic Substances Control Account, to be available for expenditure by the Department of Toxic Substances Control upon appropriation by the Legislature, as specified. The bill would authorize the department, the Attorney General, a county counsel, a district attorney, or a city attorney to enforce these provisions and would entitle a prevailing plaintiff who establishes a violation of these provisions to an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
The bill would require a manufacturer to use the least toxic alternative when replacing any form of bisphenol in a paper proof of purchase product. The bill would also prohibit a manufacturer from replacing any form of bisphenol pursuant to these provisions with chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, or with any chemical identified by the department as a Candidate
Chemical, as specified.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF