PMI Names California State Senator “Legislator of the Year” for Work on “Lead-Free” Plumbing Products Issue
For Immediate Release
 |
California State Senator Ronald S. Calderon (left) accepts the “Legislator of the Year” award from PMI President Rod Ward.
Download Hi-Res
File Name: PMI-LOTY09.tif
Image Size: 6" wide x 4" high (1800 x 1200 pixels) x 300ppi; CMYK; .tif |
| |
ROLLING MEADOWS, ILLINOIS (APRIL 15, 2008) — The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute has named Ronald S. Calderon (D-Montebello), a member of the California State Senate, its 2007 Legislator of the Year, “in recognition of exemplary leadership on plumbing manufacturing issues.” Senator Calderon recently introduced legislation calling for third-party certification that all affected plumbing products meet California’s new “lead-free” formulation, thus assuring a level playing field for manufacturers when the legislation takes effect in two years.
The award presentation was made on March 31 during the PMI 2008 Spring Meeting in Newport Beach, Calif. Calderon, who was elected to the California State Senate in 2006 after serving four years in the State Assembly, represents approximately one million constituents in several cities in Los Angeles County.
Not an annual event, the PMI “Legislator of the Year” award is presented only on those occasions when an elected official – local, state or federal – has made an extraordinary effort that is beneficial to the plumbing industry. The award was last presented in 2004 to U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R-MO).
In presenting the award, PMI President Rod Ward of the Speakman Company cited the work Calderon had done with regard to Assembly Bill 1953 in 2006. Effective January 1, 2010, that legislation mandates a 0.25 percent maximum level of lead in plumbing pipe, fittings and fixtures.
During debate over AB 1953 two years ago, Senator Calderon advocated a performance-based approach to lead content, as defined by NSF 61, which limits the amount of lead leaching into the water flowing through plumbing fittings – not on the lead content of the products themselves. Following the passage of AB 1953, Senator Calderon in 2007 introduced Senate Bill 651, which “moved the discussion forward regarding the interpretation of the [new 0.25] formula,” according to Ward.
In February of this year, Calderon introduced new legislation, SB 1334, that would require all plumbing products covered by AB 1953 to be certified by “an independent 3rd party.” As Ward noted, this legislation would “ensure that the manufacturers who are endeavoring to comply with this unique situation are not at a competitive disadvantage to those who might choose to ignore the new requirements.”
“I feel that the public is well served – consumers, retailers, wholesalers, even developers and building inspectors – by being assured that plumbing products comply with the new law,” said Calderon, in accepting the award. “It is a righteous cause and I know in my heart it is the right thing to do. We’ll just keep working hard until we get this legislation to Governor Schwarzenegger’s office.”
“Senator Calderon’s dedication and leadership in the halls of the State Capitol have been clearly demonstrated through his extraordinary efforts,” Ward noted, “not only throughout the entirety of his legislative career, but also during the past two years as specific issues of great interest to PMI members have been addressed.”
About PMI: The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute is the voluntary, not-for-profit international trade association of manufacturers of plumbing products, serving as the Voice of the Plumbing Industry. Member-companies produce a substantial quantity of the nation’s plumbing products.
For more information on PMI or its semi-annual meetings, contact the Institute at 1921 Rohlwing Road, Unit G, Rolling Meadows, IL, 60008; tel.: 847.481.5500; fax: 847.481.5501. Or visit our website at www.pmihome.org. Check the website later in the summer for more information about PMI’s fall meeting, being held October 5-8 at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
PMI Mission Statement:
- To promote the water efficiency, health, safety and quality of plumbing products, while maximizing consumer choice and value in a fair and open marketplace.
- To provide a forum for the exchange of information and industry education.
- To represent the members’ interests in the regulatory/legislative processes.
- To enhance the plumbing industry’s growth and expansion.