BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 82
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          Date of Hearing:   April 6, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                  AB 82 (Jeffries) - As Amended:  February 23, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              
          TransportationVote:13-0

          Urgency:     Yes                  State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill clarifies statute passed last year that, due to a 
          drafting error, incorrectly identifies the driver's licensing 
          requirements for firefighters that operate firefighting 
          equipment.  Specifically, this bill:

          1)Clarifies that a Class A driver's license is not needed to 
            operate firefighting equipment, provided that the equipment is 
            operated by a person who holds a firefighter endorsement along 
            with at least a Class C license.  

          2)Clarifies that a firefighter endorsement is needed to operate 
            firefighting equipment if the driver holds a Class C, 
            restricted Class A, or noncommercial Class B license.  

          3)Clarifies that no firefighting endorsement is needed to 
            operate firefighting equipment as long as the person holds a 
            Class A or Class B license appropriate for the size and 
            configuration of the firefighting equipment.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible costs to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

           COMMENTS 

           1)Rationale  . The intent of this bill is to clean up provisions 
            of statute enacted in 2010 that removed the firefighter 
            restricted license program from DMV's commercial driver's 
            license program and created new testing requirements for 
            firefighters.  








                                                                  AB 82
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           2)Background.    AB 1648 (Jeffries) Chapter 360, Statutes of 
            2010, sought to change the type of driver's license required 
            to operate firefighting equipment from a class A or B 
            commercial driver's license or a restricted firefighting 
            license to a class C license with a firefighter endorsement 
            and allows a person without such an endorsement to operate 
            firefighting equipment for training purposes during 
            non-emergencies.

           3)Support  .  This bill is supported by the California State 
            Firefighters' Association and the Regional Council of Rural 
            Counties.  There is no registered opposition to this bill. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081