BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 674
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 674 (Bonilla) - As Amended: April 5, 2011
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:9-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the January 1, 2012 sunset on provisions that
allow a county to impose additional fees on the initial and
annual registration of motor vehicles and commercial vehicles
within its jurisdiction, the revenue from which is used to buy
mobile fingerprint identification and related equipment.
Specifically, this bill repeals the sunset on provisions that
impose:
1)A $1 annual surcharge on the registration of all motor
vehicles.
2)An additional $2 service fee on the registration of commercial
vehicles imposed quintennially.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Continued revenue, about $15 million in FY 20011-12 and $30
million annually thereafter, to the counties that participate
in the fingerprint identification program and that impose the
surcharge and the fee. (Motor Vehicle Account (MVA).)
2)Continued costs, perhaps $300,000 annually starting in FY
20011-12, to the DMV to continue to collect the annual
surcharge and the quintennial service fee; these costs are
covered by a DMV processing charge. (MVA.)
3)Continued costs, perhaps $200,000 annually starting in FY
2011-12, to the Controller to allocate fee revenue to
participating counties, to audit counties' use of these funds,
and to annually report to the Legislature; these costs are
AB 674
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covered by a small portion of the revenue generated by the
fees.
4)Minor, one-time programming costs, likely less than $50,000,
to DMV (MVA).
COMMENTS
1)Rationale. The author believes the 2012 sunset on the $1
annual surcharge on motor vehicle registration and the $2
quintennial service fee on commercial vehicles should be
repealed to continue fee imposition and county spending
authority indefinitely. The California State Sheriffs'
Association and the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department
(cosponsors) argue the program has successfully funded mobile
fingerprint identification technology in the participating
counties and has saved the Department of Justice significant
money by avoiding manual scanning of inked fingerprint cards.
2)Background. SB 720 (Lockyer) - Chapter 587, Statutes of 1997
authorized, until January 1, 2003, participating counties to
impose the $1 annual surcharge to fund local law enforcement
use of automated mobile and fixed-location fingerprint
identification equipment (live-scan). AB 879 (Chapter 986,
Statutes of 2002, Keeley) added reporting provisions and
extending the initial sunset to 2006. AB 857 (Chapter 470,
Statutes of 2005, Bass) extended the program until January
2012.
3)Sunset Repeal. Sunsets have always been placed on a
participating county's authority to impose the annual
surcharge and the quintennial service fee because county needs
may someday be met or the type of technology required for
quick fingerprint identification may change in a manner that
requires changes in the parameters within which fee revenue
can be used. While the program has been successful in funding
related local law enforcement equipment needs, given that
these basic circumstances have not changed it may be more
appropriate to extend the sunset rather than eliminating it.
4)Support. This bill is supported by several local governments
and law enforcement agencies and organizations.
5)There is no registered opposition to this bill.
AB 674
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Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081