BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1618|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1618
Author: Firebaugh (D)
Amended: 4/9/03 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE : 8-2, 7/1/03
AYES: Murray, Figueroa, Florez, Karnette, Perata, Scott,
Soto, Torlakson
NOES: McClintock, Morrow
ABSENT/NO VOTE RECORDED: Ashburn, Brulte, Speier
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 45-30, 5/15/03 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Motor vehicle dealers: front license plate
bracket
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill prohibits, after 1/1/05, motor vehicle
dealers from selling motor vehicles, other than
motorcycles, without front license plate brackets.
ANALYSIS : Existing law prohibits the holder of certain
occupational licenses, issued by the State Department of
Motor Vehicles, from engaging in certain practices,
including, delivering a vehicle for operation on California
highways that does not meet all of the statutory equipment
requirements.
CONTINUED
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This bill also prohibits the delivery, after 1/1/05, of a
motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, that is not
equipped with a front license plate bracket.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), there are
at least a half dozen popular vehicle models, particularly
expensive European imports where front license plates are
not required, that are currently manufactured without a
front license plate bracket. In addition, the CHP reports
that it has issued the following number of citations for
violation of Section 5200 of the Vehicle Code over a three
year period:
Year Number of citations
2000 28,845
2001 30,070
2002 36,545
95,460
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/14/03)
Automobile Club of Southern California
California State Automobile Association
OPPOSITION : (Verified 7/14/03)
California Motor Car Dealers Association (unless amended)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : This bill prohibits a vehicle
dealer from delivering a motor vehicle, other than a
motorcycle, that is not equipped with a front license plate
bracket. The author's office contends that some vehicle
models are not equipped with a front license plate bracket
which "contributes to the misconception that vehicles are
only required to display a rear license plate."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : Writing in opposition to this
bill, unless amended, the California Motor Car Dealers
Association notes "(a)s a practical matter, it has been the
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custom and practice of new motor car vehicle dealers, auto
manufacturers and distributors that do business in this
state to provide a front license plate bracket with each
vehicle sold. However, in a significant number of sale and
lease transactions, vehicle consumers specifically request
that the front license bracket not be installed. The
reasons given by consumers for non-installation of the
front license bracket include: vehicle is being purchased
as a collector's item; vehicle will not be operated on
public highways; vehicle is being purchased for
out-of-state use; customer does not like the aesthetic look
of the vehicle with a mounted front license bracket (this
is a particular problem with purchasers of high-performance
and high-end vehicles)."
The Association requests the adoption of the following
amendment which provides that a dealer would be prohibited
from delivering a vehicle, unless the dealer either (1)
installed a front license plate bracket, or (2) obtained a
written acknowledgement from the purchaser indicating that
California law requires a front license plate.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Calderon, Chan, Chavez, Chu,
Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Diaz, Dutra, Dymally, Firebaugh,
Frommer, Goldberg, Hancock, Jerome Horton, Jackson,
Kehoe, Koretz, Laird, Leno, Lieber, Liu, Longville,
Lowenthal, Matthews, Montanez, Nation, Negrete McLeod,
Nunez, Oropeza, Parra, Pavley, Reyes, Richman,
Ridley-Thomas, Salinas, Simitian, Steinberg, Vargas,
Wiggins, Wolk, Yee
NOES: Aghazarian, Bates, Bogh, Campbell, Canciamilla,
Cogdill, Cox, Daucher, Dutton, Garcia, Harman, Haynes,
Shirley Horton, Houston, Keene, La Malfa, La Suer,
Leslie, Maddox, Maldonado, Maze, McCarthy, Mountjoy,
Nakanishi, Plescia, Runner, Samuelian, Spitzer,
Strickland, Wyland
RJG:mel 7/15/03 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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