BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 82|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 82
Author: Jeffries (R)
Amended: 02/23/11 in Assembly
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMM : 9-0, 06/07/11
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Harman, Huff, Kehoe, Lowenthal,
Pavley, Rubio, Simitian
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-0, 04/14/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Vehicles: firefighting equipment
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires a person who operates
firefighting equipment to obtain either a class A or B
license as appropriate for the size and configuration of
the firefighting equipment or a class C license, a
restricted class A license, or a noncommercial class B
license with a firefighter endorsement.
ANALYSIS : In order to operate a motor vehicle upon the
highway, a person must hold a valid driver's license
appropriate for the type of vehicle he or she is driving.
To obtain a driver's license, a person must apply to the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and pass a written test
of the person's knowledge of the laws governing the
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operation of vehicles and his or her ability to understand
simple English used in traffic signs, a behind-the-wheel
driving test taken in the type of vehicle that he or she is
seeking the license to drive, and vision and hearing tests.
Persons who apply for a class A or B license must also
provide a report from a medical examination that was
conducted no longer than two years prior to the application
for a driver's license.
The different classes of driver's licenses required to
operate different types of vehicles are as follows:
A class C license is the most common driver's license,
typically used to operate passenger cars and pick-up
trucks.
A class B license is valid for the operation of the
following vehicles:
All vehicles covered in class C
A single vehicle with three or more axles weighing
more than 6,000 pounds
A bus except a trailer bus
A farm labor vehicle
A single vehicle with three or more axles or a GVWR
of more than 26,000 pounds towing another vehicle with
a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less
A house car over 40 feet in length
A class A license is valid to operate the following
vehicles:
All vehicles covered in Class B and C
A combination of vehicles, if a vehicle being towed
has a GVWR of more than 10,000 pounds
A vehicle towing more than one vehicle
A trailer bus
Class A and B licenses are typically required to operate
vehicles used in commerce. Licensees are thus subject to
the commercial licensing program, which is governed by
federal law and imposes stricter sanctions on drivers who
violate motor vehicle laws than those that typically apply
to drivers with noncommercial licenses. Existing law does,
however, provide for a noncommercial class B license for
the operation of a house car that is more than 40 feet in
length, a restricted class A license for the operation of
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any two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen
when towing a livestock trailer that has a gross vehicle
weight rating between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds, and a
restricted class A license for the operation of any
two-axle vehicle weighing 4,000 pounds or more unladen when
towing a trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of more
than 10,000 pounds or a fifth-wheel travel trailer with a
gross vehicle weight rating of more than 15,000 pounds
(e.g., campers).
Because most firefighting equipment is included in either
class A or B, firefighters who operated firefighting
equipment were, until last year, required to obtain a class
A or B license or a restricted firefighter license, which
had similar requirements as the class A and B licenses.
Last year, however, the Legislature passed AB 1648
(Jeffries), Chapter 360, Statutes of 2010, to allow a
firefighter to operate firefighting equipment with a class
C license, provided the firefighter obtained a firefighter
endorsement, which that bill established. Specifically,
the bill required a person who is operating firefighting
equipment, as defined, to "obtain and maintain a
firefighter endorsement issued by the department and
maintain a class A, class B, or class C license"
This bill requires a person who operates firefighting
equipment to obtain either a class A or B license as
appropriate for the size and configuration of the
firefighting equipment or a class C license, a restricted
class A license, or a noncommercial class B license with a
firefighter endorsement. The bill also makes two
technical, clarifying changes.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill is a clean-up
measure to last year's AB 1648 (Jeffries). As written, AB
1648 inadvertently placed additional burdens on
firefighters, their local departments, and the DMV by
requiring firefighters who already have a class A or B
license to also obtain the firefighter endorsement. The
author asserts that was not the Legislature's intent when
it passed AB 1648 and that this bill corrects this error.
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FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/27/11)
California State Firefighters' Association, Inc.
Regional Council of Rural Counties
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 60-0, 04/14/11
AYES: Achadjian, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro,
Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Furutani, Gatto, Gordon, Hagman, Halderman,
Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso,
Huffman, Jeffries, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller,
Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Pan, Perea,
V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth,
Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wieckowski, Yamada,
John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alejo, Butler, Charles Calderon, Conway,
Feuer, Galgiani, Garrick, Gorell, Grove, Harkey, Jones,
Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Mendoza, Morrell, Olsen, Wagner,
Williams, Vacancy
JJA:nl 6/28/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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