(a) The Legislature shall require contractors to certify in writing to the contracting officer, or his or her representative, whether the materials, goods, or supplies offered contain the minimum percentage of recycled product required by subdivision (d) of Section 12301. The contractor shall specify the minimum, if not exact, percentage of recycled product in the product, both the secondary and postconsumer material content. This certification shall be furnished under penalty of perjury.

(b) The Legislature, in consultation with the department and the board, shall review and revise the procurement specifications used by the Legislature in order to eliminate discrimination against the procurement or purchase of recycled products whenever quality of a recycled product is reasonably equal to the same product manufactured with virgin resources. In determining procurement specifications, with the exception of any specifications that have been established to preserve the public health and safety, all legislative procurement and purchasing specifications shall be established in a manner that results in the maximum legislative procurement and purchase of recycled products.

(c) The Legislature, in consultation with the board, shall establish purchasing practices that ensure, to the maximum extent feasible, the purchase of materials, goods, and supplies that may be recycled or reused when discarded.

(d) The Legislature shall give purchase preference to recycled products when all of the following apply:

(1) The product meets applicable standards.

(2) The product can be substituted for a comparable nonrecycled product.

(3) The product costs no more than a comparable nonrecycled product.

(e) To encourage the use of postconsumer waste, the Legislature’s specifications shall require recycled product contracts to be awarded to the bidder whose product contains the greater percentage of postconsumer material if the fitness and quality and price meet the requirements in subdivision (d) of Section 12301 and Section 12310.

(f) The Legislature shall set the following goals for purchases made by the Legislature or any individual or group of individuals purchasing on behalf of the Legislature:

(1) By January 1, 1991, at least 10 percent of legislative purchases are of recycled products.

(2) By January 1, 1993, at least 20 percent of legislative purchases are of recycled products.

(3) By January 1, 1995, at least 40 percent of legislative purchases are of recycled products.

(4) The goals specified in this subdivision shall be applied to the purchase by the Legislature of products described in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) of Section 12305 and shall be applied to the total dollar amount of the combined purchases of those products.

Each specified goal shall be met for each product listed pursuant to Section 12305. If at any time a goal has not been met, the Legislature and the department, in consultation with the board, shall review procurement policies of the Legislature and shall make recommendations for immediate revisions to ensure that each goal is met. Revisions include, but are not limited to, raising the purchasing preference and altering the goals for all or each recycled product. The department, in consultation with the board, shall present its conclusions and recommendations on these revisions of procurement policies to the Legislature in the department’s annual report pursuant to Section 12225.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 427, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 1996.)