BILL ANALYSIS Ó ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 82| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ CONSENT Bill No: AB 82 Author: Jeffries (R) Amended: 02/23/11 in Assembly Vote: 27 - Urgency SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM : 9-0, 06/07/11 AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Pavley, Rubio, Simitian SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8 ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-0, 04/14/11 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Vehicles: firefighting equipment SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill requires a person who operates firefighting equipment to obtain either a class A or B license as appropriate for the size and configuration of the firefighting equipment or a class C license, a restricted class A license, or a noncommercial class B license with a firefighter endorsement. ANALYSIS : In order to operate a motor vehicle upon the highway, a person must hold a valid driver's license appropriate for the type of vehicle he or she is driving. To obtain a driver's license, a person must apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and pass a written test of the person's knowledge of the laws governing the CONTINUED AB 82 Page 2 operation of vehicles and his or her ability to understand simple English used in traffic signs, a behind-the-wheel driving test taken in the type of vehicle that he or she is seeking the license to drive, and vision and hearing tests. Persons who apply for a class A or B license must also provide a report from a medical examination that was conducted no longer than two years prior to the application for a driver's license. The different classes of driver's licenses required to operate different types of vehicles are as follows: A class C license is the most common driver's license, typically used to operate passenger cars and pick-up trucks. A class B license is valid for the operation of the following vehicles: All vehicles covered in class C A single vehicle with three or more axles weighing more than 6,000 pounds A bus except a trailer bus A farm labor vehicle A single vehicle with three or more axles or a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds towing another vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less A house car over 40 feet in length A class A license is valid to operate the following vehicles: All vehicles covered in Class B and C A combination of vehicles, if a vehicle being towed has a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds A vehicle towing more than one vehicle A trailer bus Class A and B licenses are typically required to operate vehicles used in commerce. Licensees are thus subject to the commercial licensing program, which is governed by federal law and imposes stricter sanctions on drivers who violate motor vehicle laws than those that typically apply to drivers with noncommercial licenses. Existing law does, however, provide for a noncommercial class B license for the operation of a house car that is more than 40 feet in length, a restricted class A license for the operation of CONTINUED AB 82 Page 3 any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when towing a livestock trailer that has a gross vehicle weight rating between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds, and a restricted class A license for the operation of any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds or a fifth-wheel travel trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 15,000 pounds (e.g., campers). Because most firefighting equipment is included in either class A or B, firefighters who operated firefighting equipment were, until last year, required to obtain a class A or B license or a restricted firefighter license, which had similar requirements as the class A and B licenses. Last year, however, the Legislature passed AB 1648 (Jeffries), Chapter 360, Statutes of 2010, to allow a firefighter to operate firefighting equipment with a class C license, provided the firefighter obtained a firefighter endorsement, which that bill established. Specifically, the bill required a person who is operating firefighting equipment, as defined, to "obtain and maintain a firefighter endorsement issued by the department and maintain a class A, class B, or class C license" This bill requires a person who operates firefighting equipment to obtain either a class A or B license as appropriate for the size and configuration of the firefighting equipment or a class C license, a restricted class A license, or a noncommercial class B license with a firefighter endorsement. The bill also makes two technical, clarifying changes. Comments According to the author's office, this bill is a clean-up measure to last year's AB 1648 (Jeffries). As written, AB 1648 inadvertently placed additional burdens on firefighters, their local departments, and the DMV by requiring firefighters who already have a class A or B license to also obtain the firefighter endorsement. The author asserts that was not the Legislature's intent when it passed AB 1648 and that this bill corrects this error. CONTINUED AB 82 Page 4 FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No SUPPORT : (Verified 6/27/11) California State Firefighters' Association, Inc. Regional Council of Rural Counties ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-0, 04/14/11 AYES: Achadjian, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Gatto, Gordon, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wieckowski, Yamada, John A. Pérez NO VOTE RECORDED: Alejo, Butler, Charles Calderon, Conway, Feuer, Galgiani, Garrick, Gorell, Grove, Harkey, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Mendoza, Morrell, Olsen, Wagner, Williams, Vacancy JJA:nl 6/28/11 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED