Government Relations Update

After many months of collaborative work and raising awareness around gate safety with the Hummingbird Alliance, the AFA was happy to see Alex’s Law introduced by California state Assembly Member, Damon Connolly. 

Alex’s Law (also known as Bill 2149) was written in response to the tragic death of Alex Quanbeck and will work to make gates safer in the state of California. The bill will improve the safety regulations for any automatic vehicular gate, manual vehicular gate, or any gate that is greater than 48 inches wide or 84 inches tall. 

Eric Quanbeck, Alex’s father, commented, “In honor of Alex, we started The Hummingbird Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving school safety through education and advocacy. Tragically, we’ve discovered numerous child fatalities from gate failures that could have been prevented with safety devices.”
“No family should have to endure the pain of an utterly preventable death,” said Dayna Quanbeck, Alex’s mother. “We are proud that Alex’s Law will not only implement common-sense gate safety regulations, it will also save lives. Beyond our home state of California, the work will continue to improve gate safety throughout the U.S.”

Alex’s Law requires any automatic vehicular gate, manual vehicular gate, or gate larger than 48 inches wide and 84 inches high to meet specified industry standards and requires that the owner of a regulated gate have it inspected on or before July 1, 2025, and re-inspected at least once every five years with written certification by a professional. To meet specified standards, the gate must not fall more than 45 degrees from a vertical plane when detached, the gate must not move under its own weight, any rolling wheels must be covered, and the gate must have a positive stop, which is an immovable component that impedes motion of the gate. If a gate is determined to be an immediate threat to safety, any use of the gate must immediately stop until necessary repairs are made by a licensed contractor within a prescribed period.

AFA Executive Director Michael Reed said, “The American Fence Association is proud to support Alex’s Law to help improve gate safety. Our organization has worked closely with the Quanbeck family on industry initiatives that increase awareness, educate communities, and raise standards to eliminate gate related injuries and deaths. By working together, community leaders, code enforcement officials, and industry professionals can improve gate design, installation, and maintenance of gates so that no more parents have to suffer the death of a child. We applaud the work by Assemblymember Connolly and strongly urge passage of this important legislation.”

The AFA looks forward to following this bill through the legislative process. We will keep you informed of any updates.

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