BILL NUMBER:  SB 1154
  VETOED	DATE: 09/29/2004




To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 1154 without my signature.

This bill imposes new mandates on companies offering consumer rebates
by requiring a minimum of 30 days for the consumer to submit the
rebate request from the date the consumer purchases the product or
becomes eligible for the rebate.  This bill further requires the
rebate to be returned back to the consumer within the same specified
number of days provided to the customer to submit the rebate request
and prohibits a company from requiring more than receipt as proof of
purchase.

While this bill purports to provide flexible options for compliance
for companies offering rebates, the bill will have the effect of
reducing the number of rebates offered by manufacturers.  This bill
will present unnecessary barriers for companies doing business in
multiple states since the rebate terms for California residents would
differ from those in the rest of the country.

Existing contract law and federal and state consumer protection laws
make this bill unnecessary and could cause conflicts for companies
that make nationwide rebates offered that would encourage companies
to exclude California from their nationwide consumer rebate offers.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger