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 legislative session for the year has ended, and the Governor vetoed 183 out of approximately 990 bills presented to him. Additionally, the Governor has called for a special session focused on passing legislation to prevent spikes in gas prices. The California Autobody Association (CAA) will continue to monitor developments and provide updates.
The following is CAA’s breakdown of where bills presently stand.
Legislation
Electric Vehicle Batteries
• SB 615 – Electric Vehicle Batteries – Concerns, amendments accepted. 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: Vetoed by Governor.
Employment
• AB 1870 – Workers’ Compensation Notice – Watch. This bill would require the existing posted workers’ compensation notice to include information concerning an injured employee ability to consult a licensed attorney to advise them of their rights under workers’ compensation laws. Status: Signed by Governor.
• AB 2288 – Private Civil Actions – Support. This bill, along with SB 92, contains the legislative language to reform California’s broken Attorney General’s Act (PAGA). These bills address major problems in the law while protecting workers and limiting shakedown lawsuits that hurt employers. Status: Signed by Governor.
• AB 2499 – Unlawful Discrimination – Watch – This bill requires an employer to provide an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking with paid sick days for specified purposes for which existing law prohibits an employer from discharging, or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against, the employee. Status: Signed by Governor.
• AB 2751 – Employer Communications During Nonworking hours – Concerns. This bill requires employers to establish a workplace policy that provides employees the right to disconnect from communications from employer during nonworking hours. Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – Held in Committee. Failed Passage.
• SB 92 – Private Civil Actions – Support. This bill, along with AB 2288, contains the legislative language to reform California’s broken Attorney General’s Act (PAGA). These bills address major problems in the law while protecting workers and limiting shakedown lawsuits that hurt employers. Status: Signed by Governor.
• SB 1116 – Unemployment Insurance: eligibility of benefits – Concerns – This bill will provide unemployment benefits to workers that go on strike which increases unemployment insurance taxes to all employers: Status: Senate Insurance Committee. Failed passage.
Vehicle Emissions
• SB 301 – Zero-Emission Aftermarket – Watch. Requires CARB to establish the Zero Emissions Aftermarket project to provide an applicant with a rebate up to $4,000 for a vehicle that has been converted to a zero-emission vehicle. Status: Vetoed by Governor.
• AB 2418 – Vehicular Air Pollution: Heavy Duty Trucks – Watch. This bill would exempt a 2024 and subsequent model heavy duty truck that meets federal emission standards from state regulations governing exhaust emissions. Status: Assembly Transportation Committee. Failed Passage.
Career Tech Funding
• AB 377 – Career Tech Education – Support. Increases Career Technical Education funding from $300 million each year to $450 million. Status: Senate Appropriations Committee. – Held in Committee. Failed Passage.
• AB 2273 – Career Technical Education – Watch. This bill establishes the California pilot paid internship program to help pupils for higher skill jobs of the future and appropriates $12 million dollars to the Department of Education to allocate grant funds to school districts for the internship programs. Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – Held in Committee. Failed Passage.
• AB 1927 – Career Technical Education Instructors – Watch. This bill would expand the Golden State Teacher Grant Program to also award grants to students who commit to work for 4 years as a credentialed career technical education instructor. Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – Held in Committee. Failed Passage.
Catalytic Converters
• AB 2188 – Vehicles – Support. This bill creates an exemption allowing owners of newer vehicles, no older than five years, to replace a stolen catalytic converter with a similar federal EPA compliant model, rather than a California ARB compliant converter. Status: Assembly Transportation Committee. Failed Passage.
• AB 2536 – Vehicles; local registration fees. Watch. This bill would define vehicle theft crimes to include the theft of vehicle parts or components such as catalytic converters. By expanding theft crimes to include converters, counties will be able to access funding and allocate resources to address theft of converters. Status: Signed by the Governor.
Other Bills of Interest
• AB 1755 – Restitution for or Replacement. Watch. This bill provides that an action seeking the restitution for or replacement of a new motor vehicle, or for civil penalties, pursuant to the provisions of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act or Tanner Consumer Protection Act must be commenced within a specified time period after the expiration of the applicable express warranty. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• AB 1777 – Autonomous Vehicles. Watch. Requires manufacturers of autonomous vehicles that operate without a human operator physically present in the vehicle to comply with certain requirements, including, among other things, to maintain a dedicated emergency response telephone line. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• AB 1901 – Vehicles: Total Loss Claim: Salvage Certificate. Watch. This bill would, if an insurance company requests a salvage pool to take possession of a vehicle that is subject of a total loss claim, and insurance company does not take possession of the vehicle, authorize the insurance company to direct the salvage pool to release the vehicle to the registered and legal owner. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• AB 2386 – Tobacco: Vehicle Sale Disclosures. Watch. This bill requires preowned vehicle retailers to provide customers with a specified tobacco residue disclosure at the point of sale and prior to transfer of ownership. Status: Assembly Health Committee. Failed Passage.
• AB 2699 – Hazardous Waste Reporting. Concerns. Provides that existing law requires a business that handles a hazardous material to, upon discovery, immediately report any release or threatened release of a hazardous material, or an actual release of a hazardous substance to the unified program agency and the Office of Emergency Services. Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee. Failed Passage.
• AB 3085 – Vehicles: Removal & Impoundment. Watch. Provides that existing law makes it a crime for a person to engage in a motor vehicle speed contest or exhibition of speed on a highway or in an off-street parking facility. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• AB 3138 – License Plates & Registration. Watch. Authorizes any vehicle to be offered an alternative device to a license plate or registration card that includes vehicle location technology. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• ACR224– Resolution. Support. The measure would urge the Insurance Commissioner to take steps to advance driver safety across California by leveraging technology and safer driving incentives and improve driving behaviors. Status: Assembly. Failed Passage.
• SB 359 – Automobile Dismantling. Watch. This bill extends the operation of DMV and other agencies to review and coordinate enforcement and compliance activity related to unlicensed and unregulated automobile dismantling. Status: Senate Appropriations Committee. Failed Passage.
• SB 903 – 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. Status: Senate Appropriations Committee – Held in Committee. Failed Passage.
• SB 961 – Vehicles Safety Equipment. Concerns. This bill requires vehicles, commencing with 2030 model year to be equipped with an intelligent speed limiter that would alert the driver the speed of the vehicle to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Status: Signed by the Governor. Vetoed by Governor.
• SB 1313 – Vehicle Equipment: Driver Monitoring Defeat Systems. Watch. This bill would prohibit vehicles from being equipped with a device that is designed for, or is capable of, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with a direct driver monitoring system. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• SB 1394 – Access to Connected Vehicles. Watch. Relates to protections for persons who are escaping domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other abuse. Requires a covered provider to provide, in a vehicle manufactured on or after the specified date, that has connected vehicle location access a mechanism that can be used by a driver who is inside a vehicle to immediately disable access. Status: Signed by the Governor.
• SB 1526 – Consumer Affairs. Watch. This bill, among other things, revises BAR applications and renewal forms to include applicable BAR accepted educational certifications. Status: Signed by the Governor.
Regulations Update
California Energy Commission (CEC) – Replacement Tire Regulations
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is moving forward with proposed regulations that would mandate tire retailers, including all automotive repair dealers, to display signs, provide tire disclosures to consumers and include them on all advertising. CAA worked with CEC to pursue exemptions for tire sellers who engage in occasional sales as well as to provide clarification for requirements relating to signs, disclosures and advertising. CAA provided suggested amendments and met with CEC to express concerns. CAA is waiting for the revised tire regulation text to be released publicly soon and will report.
Department of Toxics and Substances Control (DTSC)
CAA continues to monitor and raise concerns with the DTSC regarding proposed regulations and requirements that will increase facility and generator fees. Such increases will subsequently raise hazardous waste disposal fees for all automotive repair shops. Additionally, over the last few years, many businesses, including automotive repair dealers, have become subjects of hazardous waste enforcement suits. This occurred after the DTSC, in conjunction with local enforcement agencies conducted “dumpster dive” inspections to determine the exact nature of waste is being disposed of by these businesses.
Bureau of Automotive Repair Regulations
• BAR Advisory Committee Meeting. The BAR Advisory Group Committee meeting is being held in Sacramento on October 17, 2024. The agenda should be available be available about 10 days before. The BAR is expected to hold a regulatory workshop on storage issues afterward. CAA plans on attending the meeting, workshop and reporting.
• BAR Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection Program (VSSI) Update. The current Brake and Lamp Inspection Program ended on September 27, 2024 and replaced with VSSI. The DMV will no longer accept brake and lamp certificates of compliance for registration purposes and BAR will collect and refund all unused brake and lamp certificates. Implementation information on the VSSI program is on the BAR website, including steps to obtain a VSSI station and/or technician license. See the BAR link for more information. https://www.bar.ca.gov/safety
• Storage Fee Regulations. The BAR is proposing regulations that will make major changes to how shops can charge for vehicle storage fees. The regulations require shops that perform repairs resulting from accidents or theft recoveries to report their daily storage rate to BAR annually. Shops must determine the daily storage rate based upon specified factors and the reported rate must remain unchanged (locked in) for one year. Shops must also post and display current daily storage rates visibly to customers and notify them in writing, when charges will accrue. Many concerns have been raised, including how storage fees are calculated, the possibility that shops charging rates will be regulated by the BAR. BAR is reviewing concerns. BAR is expected to hold another workshop after the BAR Advisory meeting. CAA plans on attending and reporting.
• Tear Down and Insurance Disclosure Requirements. BAR is working on regulations that will revise current tear down (disassembly) disclosure requirements and require all auto repair shops accepting payments for repairs from insurers to include the expected payment amount from the insurer on the estimate. The proposed regulations should be released to the public soon.
• BAR Citation & Fine Program. The BAR has increased the number of citations and fines issued to California automotive repair dealers. BAR has started conducting appeal conferences, where automotive dealers can remotely, contest, their citations before a three-member panel. This panel includes a public member, an industry representative and BAR representative. If the automotive repair losses the appeal and is eligible they may attend an 8-hour remedial training course. Successful completion of this course removes the citation from the BAR website, ensuring it is not visible to consumers and competitors.
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