BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   SB 165|
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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 165
          Author:   Lowenthal (D)
          Amended:  8/20/10
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE  :  9-1, 4/28/09
          AYES:  Lowenthal, Huff, Ashburn, DeSaulnier, Harman, Kehoe,  
            Pavley, Simitian, Wolk
          NOES:  Hollingsworth
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Oropeza
           
          SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

           SENATE FLOOR  :  38-0, 6/2/09
          AYES:  Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Benoit, Calderon,  
            Cedillo, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham,  
            DeSaulnier, Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman,  
            Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal,  
            Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley,  
            Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Walters,  
            Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Ducheny, Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  Not available


           SUBJECT  :    Specially constructed vehicles

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill recasts code provisions dealing with  
                                                           CONTINUED





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          the registration of specially constructed vehicles. 

           Assembly Amendments  delete the Senate version of the bill,  
          which made several cleanup and noncontroversial changes to  
          the law related to transportation, and instead add the  
          current language.
           
           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Defines a specially constructed vehicle as a vehicle  
             that is built for private use, not for resale, and is  
             not constructed by a licensed manufacturer or  
             remanufacturer, and requires all such vehicles to be  
             subject to the emission control system testing and  
             certification requirements established by the Bureau of  
             Automotive Repair (BAR).

          2. Requires a passenger vehicle or pickup truck that is a  
             specially constructed vehicle to be inspected by  
             stations authorized to perform referee functions for the  
             purposes of determining the engine model-year used in  
             the vehicle or the vehicle model-year, and the emission  
             control system application.

          3. Grants the vehicle owner the option to choose whether  
             the inspection is based on the engine model-year used in  
             the vehicle or the vehicle model-year.

          4. Requires the referee, in determining the engine  
             model-year, to compare the engine to engines of the era  
             that the engine most closely resembles and to assign the  
             1960 model-year to the engine in any specially  
             constructed vehicle that does not sufficiently resemble  
             a previously manufactured engine.

          5. Requires the referee, in determining the vehicle  
             model-year, to compare the vehicle to vehicles of the  
             era that the vehicle most closely resembles and to  
             assign the 1960 model-year to any specially constructed  
             vehicle that does not sufficiently resemble a previously  
             manufactured vehicle.








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          6. Allows the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide  
             an initial registration to no more than the first 500  
             vehicles that meet the specified criteria and are  
             presented to DMV each year for registration.

          7. Requires DMV, when considering a registration  
             application for a specially constructed vehicle that is  
             not among the first 500 applicants, to assign that  
             vehicle the same model-year as the calendar year in  
             which the application is submitted, for purposes of  
             determining emissions inspection requirements for the  
             vehicle.

          8. Requires DMV to develop and administer a vehicle  
             registration amnesty program, from January 1, 2010,  
             until December 31, 2010, for vehicles that have been  
             previously registered or classified incorrectly and that  
             are subsequently registered correctly.

          9. Prohibits bringing a criminal action for making false  
             statements relating to a vehicle's value, make, model,  
             or for failure to register the vehicle, against a  
             current owner who has been granted amnesty under the  
             amnesty program.

          10.Requires the owners of specially constructed vehicles  
             who apply for amnesty under this program to obtain an  
             emissions control certificate.

          This bill:

          1. Switches from the Vehicle Code to the Health and Safety  
             Code, the responsibilities of the BAR in regard to the  
             registration of specially constructed vehicles.

          2. Switches from the Health and Safety Code to the Vehicle  
             Code, the responsibilities of DMV in regard to the  
             registration of specially constructed vehicles.

          3. Clarifies that specially constructed vehicles that are  
             currently registered may apply to register the vehicle  
             using a different model year determined in subsequent  
             years.








                                                                SB 165
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          4. Contains double-jointing language with AB 2461  
             (Emmerson).

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          JJA:mw  8/27/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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