CAA continues to review, monitor and report on bills as they make their way through the legislative process — here’s the latest on where they stand
Sacramento, Calif.—The State Legislature began the year with many bills to consider, and as the session moves forward, the California Autobody Association (CAA) is monitoring the bills. Here’s the CAA’s breakdown of where bills presently stand and CAA’s positions.
Legislation
Towing and Storage
AB 987 – Towing and Storage – Oppose unless amended. This bill would prohibit automotive repair dealers from charging storage fees on holidays and when the repair shop is closed. CAA has met with the Assembly member’s staff and requested amendments to address concerns.
Status: Assembly Transportation Committee.
Electric Vehicle Batteries
SB 615 –Electric Vehicle Batteries – Concerns. This bill, among other things, requires that automotive repair dealers who remove electric battery from a vehicle for repair, remanufacturing, or recycling must ensure that the battery is disposed of properly, adhering to the end-of-life requirements specified in the legislation.
Status: Senate Environmental Committee.
AB 855 – Commercial Electric Vehicle Safety- Watch. This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, on or before January 1, 2027, to develop and post on its internet website an action plan for responding to electric commercial motor vehicle battery fires that covers specified topics, including best practices for reducing wildfire risk and mitigating the risk of battery reignition.
Status: Assembly Transportation Committee.
Employment
AB 1221 – Workplace Surveillance Tools. Concerns. This bill would require an employer, at least 30 days before introducing workplace surveillance tool to provide a worker written notice that includes, among other things, a description of the worker data to be collected, the intended purpose of the workplace surveillance tool, and how this form of surveillance is necessary to meet that purpose.
Status: Assembly Public Employment & Retirement Committee.
AB 1234 – Employment – Nonpayment of Wages. Concerns. This bill would impose a 30% administrative penalty fee on every order, decision, or award issued by the Labor Commissioner.
Status: Assembly Judiciary Committee.
AB 1331 – Workplace Surveillance – Concerns. This bill would limit the use of workplace surveillance tools, as defined, by employers, including by prohibiting an employer from monitoring or surveilling workers in private, off-duty areas, as specified, and requiring workplace surveillance tools to be disabled during off-duty hours, as specified.
Status: Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection.
AB 1371 – Occupational Safety: Hazardous Waste – Watch. This bill would, among other things, allow an employee, acting in good faith, to refuse to perform a tasked assigned by an employer if it would violate those prescribed safety standards or if the employee has a reasonable apprehension that the performance of the assigned task would result in injury or illness to the employee or other employees.
Status: Assembly Labor & Employment Committee.
SB 310 – Failure to Pay Wages: Penalties – Concerns. Existing law allows wage claim penalties to either be recovered by an employee as a statutory penalty or by the Labor Commissioner as a civil penalty, as prescribed. This bill also would permit the penalty to be recovered by an independent civil action through the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 464 – Publication of Pay Data – Watch. This bill, among other things, requires an employer with 100 or more employees to collect and store demographic information gathered by an employer or labor contractor for the purpose of submitting the pay data separately from employees’ personnel records.
Status: Senate Labor, Public Employment & Retirement Committee.
Vehicle Emissions
AB 272 – Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection Program – Watch. This bill would require, within 4 years following the full implementation of the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance program, but not later than December 31, 2026, the state board to provide the first of the 2 biennial reports on its internet website.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1368 – Smog Check- Exemption – Watch. This bill would extend the smog check exemption from vehicles that were manufactured prior to the 1976 model year, to any motor vehicle that is 30 or more model years old. Status: Assembly Transportation Committee.
SB 712 – Smog Check: Exemption – Watch. This bill, known as the Jay “Leno’s Law,” would fully exempt a collector motor vehicle from the smog check requirement if the vehicle is at least 35 model years old and proof is submitted that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle, as specified.
Status: Senate Appropriations Committee.
Ignition Interlock Devices
AB 71 – Ignition Interlock Devices – Watch. This bill would extend the sunset of the ignition interlock device program currently in place from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2033.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 366 – Ignition Interlock Devices – Watch. This bill would extend the operation of the ignition interlock device provisions indefinitely and would repeal related reporting requirements.
Status: Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Career Technical Education
AB 401 – Career Technical Education – Watch. This bill is intended to provide greater stability in funding for career technical education by automatically renewing grants awarded pursuant to the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program for three years if the grant recipient meets specified requirements.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 343 – Career Technical Education Teaching Credentials – Watch. This bill would require the commission to grant a waiver from the minimum requirements for the 3-year preliminary designated subjects career technical education teaching credential and the 5-year clear designated subjects career technical education teaching credential to an individual meeting prescribed requirements, including, among other things, having a valid industry-recognized certification in a trade designated by the commission.
Status: Senate Education Committee.
SB 845 – Career Technical Education – Watch. This bill, among other things, makes several changes to the state’s framework for career technical education and work-based learning.
Status: Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
Other Bills of Interest
AB 646 – Insurance: Warranty: Catalytic Converter – Watch. This bill would limit the warranty benefit to the actual cost of replacing the catalytic converter if the warranty covers only the vehicle’s catalytic converter.
Status: Assembly Transportation Committee.
AB 1355 – Location Privacy – Watch. This bill would prohibit a covered entity, as defined, from collecting or using the location information of an individual unless doing so is necessary to provide goods or services requested by that individual and the individual has expressly opted into the collection or use of their location information for that purpose.
Status: Assembly Privacy & Consumer Protection.
SB 480 – Autonomous Vehicles – Watch. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2026, authorize an autonomous vehicle to be equipped with automated driving system (ADS) marker lamps in accordance with specified standards.
Status: Senate Floor.
SB 354 – Insurance Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2025 – Watch. This bill would create and update standards for the collection, processing, retaining, or sharing, collectively known as “processing,” of consumers’ personal information by licensees and their third-party service providers.
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 682 – Environmental Health: Product Safety. Concerns. Prohibits a person from distributing, selling or offering for sale in the state a product that contains Polyfluoroalkyl substance, unless currently unavoidable. These substances are used in many products, including automotive products such as gaskets, shock absorbers and bushings. This bill is similar to last year’s SB 903, which died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Status: Senate Environmental Quality Committee.
SB 766 – California Combating Auto Retail Scams Act – Watch. The bill sets new requirements for motor vehicle dealers including customer disclosures, document retention, and a 10-day right to cancel for customers.
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
SB 861 – Consumer Affairs – Watch. This is the annual omnibus bill for the Department of Consumer Affairs and makes non-substantive, and non-controversial changes to the Business and Professions Code.
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bureau of Automotive Repair
BAR Advisory Committee meeting
The next BAR Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for April 24, 2025. CAA plans to attend and provide a report. Below is the link to the agenda and additional information for the BAR Advisory Committee meeting. https://www.bar.ca.gov/bar-advisory-group
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