CAA Legislative Updates

CAA Legislative Update April 2024

Vehicle Batteries

SB 615 –Electric Batteries – Concerns. Requires an automotive repair dealer that removes a battery from a vehicle that is still in service to participate in a core exchange program established by the battery supplier and be responsible for either returning a removed battery to the battery supplier or sending it to a qualified facility. Status: Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

Employment 

AB 518 - Paid Family leave – Concerns. Expands the definition of “family member” for purposes of the Paid Family Leave Program to allow workers to take time off to care for a seriously ill designated person. Status: Senate Inactive File.

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: Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2288 – Private Civil Actions – Concerns. Existing law provides that Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) authorizes an aggrieved employee, on behalf of themselves and other current or former employees to bring a civil action pursuant to violation of the Labor Code. This bill would additionally authorize the award of injunctive and declaratory relief. Status: Assembly Judiciary Committee.

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 Labor and Employment Committee.

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 Labor, Public Employment & Retirement Committee.

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: Assembly Inactive File.

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. 

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.

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.

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 Education Committee.

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.

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: Assembly Transportation.

Other Bills of Interest

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: Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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.

AB 3093 – Vehicles” Headlamps. Watch. This bill would authorize every new passenger vehicle, motortruck and bus manufactured or sold in the state to be equipped with headlamps with adaptive driving beam technology. Status: Assembly Transportation Committee.

SB 898 – Vehicle Equipment: Windows. Watch. Requires all vehicles sold in California to be equipped with a side window, windshield, back window, and sunroof that allow no more than 2% of ultraviolet A radiation, no more than 2% of ultraviolet B radiation, and no more than 10% of infrared radiation of the incident solar radiation into the vehicle. Status: Senate Transportation Committee.

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 Judiciary Committee.

SB 961 – Vehicles Safety Equipment. Concerns. This bill requires, commencing with 2027 model year to be equipped with an intelligent speed limiter that would limit the speed of the vehicle to 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Status: Senate Transportation Committee.

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: Senate Transportation Committee.

SB 1526 – Consumer Affairs. Watch. This bill, among other things, revises BAR applications and renewal forms to include applicable BAR accepted educational certifications. Status: Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee.

BAR Regulations

BAR Advisory Committee meeting

The next BAR Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for April 25, 2025. We plan on attending and reporting. Below is the link to information for the BAR Advisory Committee. https://www.bar.ca.gov/bar-advisory-group.

Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection Program

The new BAR Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection Program (VSSIP) has been adopted and is now in effect. This new program will replace the existing Brake and Lamp inspection program. BAR will no longer accept applications for new brake and lamp stations and adjusters. The program will be implemented in phases to provide a smooth transition. As part of the first phase, BAR has updated its website to make license applications for VSSIP stations and technicians available for those seeking licensure.

The second phase of implementation will begin in the summer 2024, allowing licensed stations and technicians to start performing vehicle safety systems inspections. This will enable VSSIP to run concurrently with existing brake and lamp inspection program, facilitating a smooth transition. BAR will announce the start date 30 days prior to the initiation of the new inspection process. Once the BAR brake and lamp inspection program sunsets, DMV will no longer accept brake and lamp certificates of compliance for registration purposes. For information on the new VSSIP program, please visit the following BAR link. https://www.bar.ca.gov/safety.

Storage fee regulations.

BAR is working on regulations regarding storage fees and planning a workshop to discuss in further details. The industry has raised concerns with proposal due to possible “limiting” or “capping” shop storage rates which may lead to limiting labor rates. The workshop has been tentatively scheduled for April 25, 2024, immediately after the BAR Advisory Committee meeting.

Insurance disclosure requirements.

BAR is also working on requirements when auto body shops are dealing with an insurance claim, including listing the payment amount expected from insurer on the estimate. Industry concerns include possible inserting the automotive repair shop between the customer and insurer relationship and creating additional administrative requirements for automotive repair dealers. We continue to monitor and will report.