BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1097
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Date of Hearing: January 11, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Mike Eng, Chair
AB 1097 (Eng) - As Amended: January 4, 2010
SUBJECT : Vehicle license plates
SUMMARY : Requires license plates to be mounted parallel to the
ground so that the characters are upright. Specifically, this
bill :
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires, with certain exceptions, license plates to be
securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so
as to prevent the plates from swinging, mounted in a position
so as to be clearly visible, and maintained in a condition so
as to be clearly legible.
2)Requires the rear license plate to be mounted not less than 12
inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front
license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from
the ground.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill contains one of the many
transportation-related provisions that was in an omnibus bill
(AB 3064) authored by this committee on 2008. AB 3064 was one
of a large number of bills vetoed by the Governor in the
aftermath of a prolonged budget battle, on the premise that the
state had more pressing issues to deal with, rather than due to
any underlying policy problems with those bills. (The veto
message for this and other vetoed bills read: "The historic
delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget has forced me to
prioritize the bills sent to my desk at the end of the year's
legislative session. Given the delay, I am only signing bills
that are the highest priority for California. This bill does
not meet that standard and I cannot sign it at this time.")
The vetoed provision targeted by AB 1097, requiring that license
plates be mounted in a fashion that is parallel to the ground,
was originally requested by the California Highway Patrol (CHP)
as the result of a recent trend whereby motorcyclists are
AB 1097
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mounting their license plates sideways. When this occurs, it is
difficult for law enforcement officers to easily view and
recognize the characters on those plates, thereby nullifying the
most important reason for plates to be displayed in the first
place: as a tool for law enforcement to identify the ownership
of those vehicles that they are dealing with. In some
instances, these encounters may take place in an emergency or
pursuit situation where speedy recognition is essential to the
officer.
AB 3064, which contained this provision, had no opposition and
passed all its legislative votes unanimously.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None received
Opposition
None received
Analysis Prepared by : Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093