An act to add Part 7.5 (commencing with Section 14945) to Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public safety.
Summary
SB 793 creates a new chapter in the Health and Safety Code aimed at restricting the sale, offer for sale, and distribution of certain lighters in California. The bill defines “lighter” broadly to include electrical or mechanical fuel-based devices used to ignite cigars, cigarettes, fireplaces, grills, pipes, or utilities, and it separately defines “unsafe lighter” and “counterfeit lighter.” An unsafe lighter is one that does not meet specified ASTM International standards: ASTM F400 for cigarette/cigar/pipe lighters and ASTM F2201 for fireplace, grill, utility lighters, as well as lighting rods and gas matches. A counterfeit lighter is one that infringes on protected intellectual property rights.
Impact
The bill expands existing state regulation beyond cigarette lighters to cover a wider range of ignition devices and adds a separate prohibition on counterfeit lighters. It bars sale, offer for sale, or distribution of noncompliant lighters, while carving out exceptions for interstate transportation and for storage in warehouses or distribution centers not open to the public. In practical terms, the measure affects manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers of lighters and related ignition products, and it incorporates private ASTM safety standards into state law enforcement.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislative process. The voting history shows unanimous or near-unanimous approval at each recorded stage, including committee votes and floor action, with no recorded dissenting votes. Its movement onto the consent calendar and final chaptering suggest it was treated as a routine public-safety and product-compliance measure rather than a contested policy proposal.
Contention
No committee transcript is available, and the voting record shows no formal opposition, so there is little evidence of active controversy in the legislative history provided. The main policy issues implicit in the bill are the breadth of the definition of lighter, the use of ASTM standards as the compliance benchmark, and the inclusion of intellectual-property-based counterfeit provisions. Any concern would likely come from affected businesses over compliance costs, product redesign, or enforcement scope, but those objections are not reflected in the available record.