BILL ANALYSIS
SB 503
Date of Hearing: June 28, 1995
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
SB 503 (Petris) - As Amended: May 8, 1995
SUBJECT: Child passenger restraints: public notice.
SUMMARY
SB 503 requires clinics, alternative birth centers, health
facilities and child care centers, as a condition of licensure, to
disseminate specific information concerning child passenger
restraint systems. Fines levied against persons for violating
child restraint laws would be reallocated to counties to pay for
their new responsibilities. The bill would require the California
Highway Patrol (CHP) and State Department of Health Services (DHS)
to disseminate information about the restraint systems and require
other forms of coordination and public education by local health
departments and various state agencies.
DIGEST
Existing law:
1) Requires the use of seatbelts and passenger restraint systems
when operating or riding in a motor vehicle. A parent or
guardian when transporting a child in a motor vehicle and the
child is under the age of 4 years or weighing less than 40
pounds must use a passenger seat restraint system meeting
federal safety standards. Violation of the child restraint
system requirement is punishable by fines.
2) Prohibits the sale and installation of child restraint systems
not conforming to federal standards by the vehicle
manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. A violation of this
law is punishable by fines, jail, or both.
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3) Distributes fine revenue from restraint system violations to
local health departments (60 percent), county administration
(15 percent) and cities (25 percent).
This bill:
1) Requires a written policy from health clinics, alternative
birth centers, specialty clinics, and health facilities for the
dissemination of information on child passenger restraint
systems as a condition of licensure.
2) Encourages physicians to attend courses in childhood injury
prevention.
3) Requires day care centers to post signs publicizing specified
information on child restraint system laws and programs as a
condition of licensure.
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4) Requires the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to maintain a list
of all child restraint system programs in the state.
5) Requires the Department of Health Services and the CHP to:
a) Prepare and distribute public education materials on
infants and motor vehicle accidents;
b) Administer a billboard campaign on using child restraint
systems when funding becomes available; and
c) Meet with specified state agencies to coordinate such
programs.
6) Requires county health departments to designate coordinators to
facilitate the transfer of fine revenues from the court system.
The county health departments would also be required to
distribute information on the importance of using child
restraints to persons obtaining restraint systems through the
department. Departments would have to verify twice each year
the existence of such programs and forward program listings to
a variety of health clinics, programs, public agencies and
health agencies.
7) Distributes fine revenue from restraint system violations to
local health departments (60 percent), county administration
(25 percent) and cities (15 percent).
FISCAL EFFECT
This would decrease the cities' revenue from fines from 25 percent
to 15 percent, and increase the counties' share from 15 percent to
25 percent to cover the cost of the distribution of the materials.
BACKGROUND
This bill is sponsored by Consumers Union.
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Chapter 839, Statutes of 1982 (SB 537, Petris) mandated the use of
car seats for children under the age of 4 or weighing under 40
pounds.
According to the CHP, 63 children died in motor vehicle accidents
in 1993, of which 71 percent were not in child passenger restraint
system.
COMMENTS
1) This would provide better public education regarding the
importance of child passenger restraints and the availability
of low cost or loaner passenger restraints.
2) This should result in better coordination between government
agencies, especially DHS and OTS which are now mandated to meet
and share information.
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3) This will impose an additional workload to DHS, CHP, and OTS.
4) The distribution of fines would be increased to counties and
decreased to cities. This will provide funding to cover the
responsibilities specified in the bill. While cities are
currently mandated to use their funds to promote child
passenger restraint systems, it is unclear if the funds are
being used for this purpose.
SUPPORT
Consumers Union (sponsor)
State Farm Insurance Companies
California State Automobile Association
California Medical Association
California Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students, Inc.
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Personal Insurance Federation
California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems
OPPOSITION
None on file
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