Monday, May 9, 2011

California - fighting fitted bed sheets !!!

California, whose debt is so great that I fear it will soon sink into the Pacific, just can't find enough evils to legislate against:


BILL NUMBER: SB 432 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator De León

                        FEBRUARY 16, 2011

   An act to add Section 6714 to the Labor Code, relating to
workplace safety.
 
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 432, as introduced, De León. Workplace safety: lodging
establishments: housekeeping.
   Existing law establishes the Occupational Safety and Health
Standards Board within the Department of Industrial Relations and
requires the standards board to adopt and enforce all occupational
safety and health standards. Under existing law, a knowing or
negligent violation of any standard is a misdemeanor.
   This bill would require the standards board to adopt a standard
relating to housekeeping in lodging establishments, as specified.
   Because this bill would create a new crime, it would impose a
state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 6714 is added to the Labor Code, to read:
   6714.  (a) The standards board shall, no later than September 1,
2012, adopt an occupational safety and health standard for lodging
establishment housekeeping. The standard shall apply to all hotels,
motels, and other lodging establishments in California. The standard
shall require all of the following:
   (1) The use of a fitted sheet, instead of a flat sheet, as the
bottom sheet on all beds within the lodging establishment.
For the
purpose of this section, a "fitted sheet" means a bed sheet
containing elastic or similar material sewn into each of the four
corners that allows the sheet to stay in place over the mattress.
   (2) The use of long-handled tools such as mops or similar devices
in order to eliminate the practice by housekeepers of working in a
stooped, kneeling, or squatting position in order to clean bathroom
floors, walls, tubs, toilets, and other bathroom surfaces.
   (b) The standard established pursuant to this section is not
subject to a permanent variance pursuant to Section 143.
  SEC. 2.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution. 

I found this at Overlawyered. 





 

4 comments:

CenTexTim said...

Oh my aching back...

Can we vote CA out of the Union?

Hot Sam said...

I for one will not defend any law that prescribes (or proscribes) any particular type of sheet on a hotel bed, barring any formidable public health problem that is unavoidable and provable with undeniable scientific evidence...

however, I learned a long time ago that fitted sheets are evil. Flat sheets are interchangeable and can be used on beds that are larger or smaller than originally sized.

Fitted sheets are more difficult to put on a mattress by yourself. You also don't have to use any special techniques for folding a flat sheet.

If I buy sheets as a set, I'll put up with the fitted sheet. But if I'm buying them separately, I always get two (or more) flats. It's a personal preference that I recommend, but don't require.

The Whited Sepulchre said...

I'm just glad they're doing something about it.
Firm action. Helpful regulation. Creating jobs. Total Bullshit. Meaningful progress.

Anonymous said...

Senator 'Ponce' De Leon (the creator of this gem) needs to go searching for the Fountain of Youth.... because it's apparent he's sucked the Fountain of Stupidity dry.

Perhaps he has a financial interest in the South American Textile factory that will be called upon to produce all of these fitted sheets... because there won't be enough in the U.S. to fill this requirement.