BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 425|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 425
Author: Cook (R)
Amended: 04/21/09 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SEN. TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 11-0, 6/16/09
AYES: Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman,
Hollingsworth, Kehoe, Oropeza, Pavley, Simitian, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 12-0, 6/29/09
AYES: Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Oropeza, Price,
Runner, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Hancock
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0 (Consent), 5/14/09 - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Vehicle registration reinstatement fee:
military exemption
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill exempts, beginning January 1, 2011,
members of the California National Guard and the U.S. Armed
Services from the fee for reinstating the registration of a
vehicle, if the cancellation of the vehicle registration
occurred while the service member was on active duty
outside of California during a time of war.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires that in order to
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register a vehicle in California and make it legal to drive
on public streets, the registered owner must pay a
registration fee of $34, plus various additional fees, to
the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). In addition, the
registered owner must provide DMV with evidence of
financial responsibility, typically a current automobile
liability insurance policy. DMV then issues a vehicle
registration and the appropriate sticker for the vehicle's
rear license plate.
Existing law requires that an insurance company notify DMV
electronically of changes in automobile insurance coverage,
including when coverage lapses. DMV must cancel the
registration of a vehicle when insurance coverage lapses
during the period of registration.
A registered owner may reinstate a vehicle registration
that has lapsed by paying a fee sufficient to pay the costs
of the re-issuance as determined by DMV (currently $14) and
providing evidence that the reason for the cancellation has
been fixed (e.g., evidence that a lapsed insurance policy
has been restored).
This bill:
1.Exempts, beginning January 1, 2011, a member of the
California National Guard or the United States Armed
forces who was on active duty, serving outside of this
state in a military conflict during a time of war, from
paying DMV the $14 fee to reinstate the registration on
his or her vehicle that DMV canceled due to a lack of
proof of financial responsibility.
2.Requires that the vehicle owner submit his or her
official military orders to DMV when requesting the
registration reinstatement to qualify for the fee
exemption.
Previous Legislation
AB 418 (Saldana), 2007-08 Session . Would have exempted
from registration and license fees vehicles owned by
members of the California National Guard who are deployed
for the War in Iraq or in the U.S. military response to the
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September 11, 2001 attacks. AB 418 passed the Senate
Transportation and Housing Committee, but was held under
submission in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/1/09)
American Legion
AMVETS, Department of California
California Professional Firefighters
California State Commanders Veterans Council
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office points out
that when military personnel receive deployment orders,
they often have little time to prepare to leave home. In
some cases, this results in military personnel losing or
giving up their auto insurance while they are deployed,
causing DMV to cancel their vehicle registration. Upon
return from deployment, a service member must pay a
reinstatement fee, currently $14, to restore the canceled
vehicle registration.
This bill provides an exemption from that fee for members
of the California National Guard and the U.S. Armed
Services if their registration is canceled while they are
deployed. The intent of this legislation is to eliminate
one of the many frustrations associated with returning from
long deployments while trying to resume a normal life. The
author's office notes that while this is a small gesture,
it is the least the state can do for service members who
already sacrifice so much for this country.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill,
Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,
Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuller, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall,
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Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Silva, Skinner,
Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ammiano, Fuentes, Gaines, Garrick,
Saldana, Smyth, Bass
JJA:cm 7/1/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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