AB 2956 — Transportation.

Summary

(1) Existing law establishes the Active Transportation Program in the Department of Transportation for the purpose of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Existing law requires the program to be funded by state and federal funds from appropriations in the annual Budget Act to the Department of Transportation, for allocation to the California Transportation Commission. Under existing law, the amount of these appropriations include 100% of federal Transportation Alternative Program funds, except as specified. This bill would revise those provisions to specify the federal statutory source for the Transportation Alternative Program and would make a related technical change. (2) Existing law requires a driving school operator to meet specified requirements, including having worked for an established licensed California driving school as a driving instructor for a period of not less than 2,000 hours of actual behind-the-wheel teaching, as specified. In lieu of those requirements, existing law authorizes the operator, including an owner who is also the operator, of a driving school that exclusively teaches motorcycle driving to have worked for an established licensed California driving school as a motorcycle driving instructor for not less than 300 hours of motorcycle range and street teaching, and have taught 300 hours of actual motorcycle range and street instruction under the guidance of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. This bill, instead, would require the motorcycle range and street instruction for an operator that exclusively teaches motorcycle driving to be under the guidance of the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. (3) Existing law specifies standards and requirements for the equipment of motor vehicles, including vehicular exhaust systems. Under those provisions, compliance with state requirements is determined by testing performed in accordance with Society of Automotive Engineers Standard J1492 October 2008. This bill would update those references to require the testing of vehicular exhaust systems under those provisions to be performed in accordance with the most current SAE International standard. (4) Existing law, the Household Movers Act, renamed household goods carriers "household movers" and transferred regulatory authority for those carriers from the Public Utilities Commission to the Division of Household Movers within the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation in the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would delete obsolete references to "household goods carriers" and the Public Utilities Commission and replace them with "household movers" and the Department of Consumer Affairs, in accordance with the act. (5) Under existing law, the Department of Motor Vehicles regulates and issues licenses to lessor-retailers, manufacturers, manufacturer branches, remanufacturers, remanufacturer branches, distributors, distributor branches, transporters, and dealers. The California Constitution provides for the establishment of the State Board of Equalization, which, until 2017, had primary responsibility for most of the state's duties, powers, and responsibilities regarding the administration of taxes and fees. In 2017, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration was established, and existing law transferred many of the tax and fee administration duties, powers, and responsibilities of the board to the department. Existing law provides that the licenses issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles shall be automatically canceled if the licensee's seller's permit is suspended or revoked by the State Board of Equalization. This bill would instead require that the license issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles be automatically canceled if the licensee's seller's permit is suspended, revoked, or canceled by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration pursuant to specified provisions. (6) Existing law authorizes the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue an instruction permit to a physically and mentally qualified person who is, among other criteria, over 17 years and 6 months of age. Existing law allows a person with a valid permit to operate a motor vehicle, as specified. This bill would clarify that a person, who is over 17 years and 6 months of age and possesses a valid permit, may operate a motor vehicle under supervision, as specified. (7) Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop a method for peace officers to electronically verify that an insurance policy or bond has been issued for a motor vehicle. Existing law, upon the demand of a peace officer or traffic collision investigator, requires a person who drives a motor vehicle upon a highway to provide evidence of financial responsibility for the vehicle. Existing law requires a peace officer, when issuing a notice to appear for a violation, as specified, to write the driver's evidence of financial responsibility on the notice to appear, except when the peace officer is unable to do so, due to an emergency. This bill would instead require a peace officer to verify the driver's evidence of financial responsibility when issuing a notice to appear, as specified, and would remove the exemption in the case of an emergency. (8) Existing federal law establishes statutory and regulatory requirements for the operation of commercial vehicles, with respect to subjects, including, but not limited to, size and weight enforcement, inspection standards, and equipment safety. Under existing law, the Department of the California Highway Patrol (department or CHP) is responsible for enforcement of the federal requirements and related state law at the state level. This bill would make various changes to clarify and conform existing law relating to commercial vehicles with federal law and regulation, including, among other provisions, designating the Commissioner of the California Highway Patrol as the certifying official for purposes of enforcing state size and weight laws on specified federal-aid highway systems. The bill would make it unlawful for commercial vehicle driver to fail to comply with vehicle inspection testing and procedures required by an authorized member of the CHP, and would revise the information a commercial vehicle driver is required to submit to inspection at a location where CHP members are conducting tests and inspections of commercial vehicles, as specified. The bill would require vehicles regulated by the CHP to comply with requirements prescribed in federal regulations relating to equipment, including, but not limited to, the vehicle windshield, antilock brake systems, cab and body components, wheels, and suspension systems. (9) Existing law requires the department to adopt regulations for the transportation of hazardous materials in this state, except the transportation of materials that are subject to other provisions of this code, that the department determines are reasonably necessary to ensure the safety of persons and property using the highways. This bill would require the department, with respect to vehicles engaged in interstate or intrastate commerce, to establish hazardous materials regulatory requirements that are consistent with specified hazardous materials regulations adopted by the United States Department of Transportation, except as specified. The bill would exclude vehicles operated by a peace officer or public agency under designated circumstances from those regulatory requirements. (10) The bill would delete other obsolete provisions of the Vehicle Code and make other technical changes. (11) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 27150.2 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 2496 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2496 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (12) Because a violation of certain of the bill's requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/13/22 - Chaptered Current pdf September 13, 2022
• Enrolled 09/01/22 - Enrolled pdf September 01, 2022
• Amended 08/22/22 - Amended Senate pdf August 22, 2022
• Amended 06/16/22 - Amended Senate pdf June 16, 2022
• Amended 04/18/22 - Amended Assembly pdf April 18, 2022
• Introduced 02/28/22 - Introduced pdf February 28, 2022
• AB2956 View text html

Action History

1. September 13, 2022

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 295, Statutes of 2022.

2. September 13, 2022

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 09, 2022

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

4. August 30, 2022

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0.).

5. August 29, 2022

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

6. August 29, 2022

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 5188.).

7. August 23, 2022

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. August 22, 2022

   Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

9. August 08, 2022

   Ordered to third reading.

10. August 08, 2022

    From Consent Calendar.

11. August 02, 2022

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

12. August 01, 2022

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

13. June 29, 2022

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

14. June 16, 2022

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

15. June 01, 2022

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

16. May 19, 2022

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

17. May 19, 2022

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 4741.)

18. May 12, 2022

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

19. May 11, 2022

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 11).

20. April 26, 2022

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

21. April 19, 2022

    Re-referred to Com. on TRANS.

22. April 18, 2022

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on TRANS. Read second time and amended.

23. March 17, 2022

    Referred to Com. on TRANS.

24. March 01, 2022

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 31.

25. February 28, 2022

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Committee on Transportation · Primary

Votes

Subjects