SB 159 — Vehicles: emergency vehicles.
Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 33, Statutes of 2009.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed Assembly
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill died with 2009-2010 Regular Session. It reached “To Executive” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.
Summary
(1) Existing law requires a person driving a vehicle on a freeway approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle displaying emergency lights, or a stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights to approach with due caution and, before passing in a lane immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle or tow truck, to either change lanes or slow to a reasonable and prudent speed, absent any other direction by a peace officer. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is an infraction. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires tow trucks used to tow disabled vehicles to be equipped with flashing amber warning lamps, and authorizes tow trucks to display flashing amber warning lamps while providing service to a disabled vehicle. Existing law prohibits a tow truck from displaying flashing amber warning lamps on a freeway except when an unusual traffic hazard or extreme hazard exists. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is a crime. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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 08/06/09 - Chaptered Current pdf August 06, 2009
- Enrolled 07/17/09 - Enrolled pdf July 17, 2009
- Amended 04/02/09 - Amended Senate pdf April 02, 2009
- Introduced 02/14/09 - Introduced pdf February 14, 2009
- SB159 View text html
Action History
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Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 33, Statutes of 2009.
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Approved by Governor.
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Enrolled. To Governor at 11:30 a.m.
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In Senate. To enrollment.
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Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2542.) To Senate.
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Read second time. To third reading.
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(Heard in committee on July 1.)
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From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.)
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(Heard in committee on June 22.)
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From committee: Do pass, but first be re-referred to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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To Com. on TRANS.
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In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
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Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 33. Noes 2. Page 619.) To Assembly.
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Read second time. To third reading.
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From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 555.)
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Set for hearing April 20.
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Read second time. Amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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From committee: Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 2. Page 398.)
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Set for hearing March 31.
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To Com. on T. & H.
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From print. May be acted upon on or after March 17.
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Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sponsors
- Ashburn · Cosponsor
- Simitian · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 120 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Simitian
Co-sponsors (1)
- Ashburn
Not signed on (120)
120 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 120 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 78 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Democratic | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 84 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| % of votes cast | 92% | 0% | 0% | 8% |
How each member voted (91)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Carter | — | Yea |
| Chesbro | — | Yea |
| Conway | — | Yea |
| Bill | — | Yea |
| Tom | — | Yea |
| Evans | — | Yea |
| Fuentes | — | Yea |
| Charles | — | Yea |
| Fuller | — | Yea |
| Galgiani | — | Yea |
| Garrick | — | Yea |
| Hagman | — | Yea |
| Hall | — | Yea |
| Hayashi | — | Yea |
| De | — | Yea |
| La | — | Yea |
| Torre | — | Yea |
| De | — | Yea |
| Leon | — | Yea |
| Hernandez | — | Yea |
| Hill | — | Yea |
| Fletcher | — | Yea |
| Fong | — | Yea |
| Bonnie | — | Yea |
| Lowenthal | — | Yea |
| V. | — | Yea |
| Manuel | — | Yea |
| Beall | — | Yea |
| Blakeslee | — | Yea |
| Cook | — | Yea |
| Coto | — | Yea |
| Duvall | — | Yea |
| Huffman | — | Yea |
| Knight | — | Yea |
| Logue | — | Yea |
| Mendoza | — | Yea |
| Monning | — | Yea |
| Nava | — | Yea |
| Perez | — | Yea |
| John | — | Yea |
| A. | — | Yea |
| Perez | — | Yea |
| Portantino | — | Yea |
| Salas | — | Yea |
| Audra | — | Yea |
| Yamada | — | Yea |
| Saldana | — | Not Voting |
| Anderson | — | Not Voting |
| Block | — | Not Voting |
| Krekorian | — | Not Voting |
| Ruskin | — | Yea |
| Silva | — | Yea |
| Smyth | — | Yea |
| Solorio | — | Yea |
| Torlakson | — | Yea |
| Torres | — | Yea |
| Tran | — | Yea |
| Adams | — | Yea |
| Ammiano | — | Yea |
| Bass | — | Yea |
| Blumenfield | — | Yea |
| Brownley | — | Yea |
| Buchanan | — | Yea |
| Harkey | — | Yea |
| Huber | — | Yea |
| Jeffries | — | Yea |
| Lieu | — | Not Voting |
| Ma | — | Yea |
| Miller | — | Yea |
| Nestande | — | Yea |
| Nielsen | — | Yea |
| Skinner | — | Yea |
| Swanson | — | Yea |
| Torrico | — | Yea |
| Villines | — | Not Voting |
| Emmerson | — | Yea |
| Eng | — | Not Voting |
| Feuer | — | Yea |
| Davis | — | Yea |
| DeVore | — | Yea |
| Furutani | — | Yea |
| Gilmore | — | Yea |
| Beth Gaines | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Jones, Brian W. | Republican | Yea |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Yea |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 0% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (21)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Coto | — | Yea |
| Duvall | — | Yea |
| Hall | — | Yea |
| De | — | Yea |
| Leon | — | Yea |
| John | — | Yea |
| A. | — | Yea |
| Perez | — | Yea |
| Audra | — | Yea |
| Charles | — | Not Voting |
| Ammiano | — | Yea |
| Miller | — | Yea |
| Solorio | — | Yea |
| Harkey | — | Yea |
| Nielsen | — | Yea |
| Skinner | — | Yea |
| Torlakson | — | Yea |
| Davis | — | Yea |
| Fuentes | — | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 94% | 0% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (18)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Furutani | — | Yea |
| Jeffries | — | Yea |
| Conway | — | Yea |
| Bill | — | Yea |
| Bonnie | — | Yea |
| Lowenthal | — | Yea |
| John | — | Yea |
| A. | — | Yea |
| Perez | — | Yea |
| Miller | — | Yea |
| Solorio | — | Not Voting |
| Torlakson | — | Yea |
| Blumenfield | — | Yea |
| Monning | — | Yea |
| Eng | — | Yea |
| Galgiani | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Yea |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 30 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Democratic | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 34 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| % of votes cast | 85% | 5% | 0% | 10% |
How each member voted (40)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Yee | — | Yea |
| Hancock | — | Yea |
| Cedillo | — | Yea |
| Cogdill | — | Yea |
| Wyland | — | Yea |
| Corbett | — | Yea |
| Ducheny | — | Not Voting |
| Huff | — | Nay |
| Kehoe | — | Yea |
| Leno | — | Yea |
| Negrete | — | Yea |
| Runner | — | Yea |
| Liu | — | Yea |
| Alquist | — | Yea |
| Ashburn | — | Yea |
| Benoit | — | Yea |
| McLeod | — | Yea |
| Romero | — | Yea |
| Simitian | — | Yea |
| Steinberg | — | Yea |
| Wolk | — | Yea |
| Wright | — | Yea |
| Harman | — | Not Voting |
| Dutton | — | Not Voting |
| Aanestad | — | Yea |
| Hollingsworth | — | Nay |
| Maldonado | — | Yea |
| Oropeza | — | Yea |
| Pavley | — | Yea |
| Walters | — | Not Voting |
| Wiggins | — | Yea |
| Correa | — | Yea |
| Cox | — | Yea |
| DeSaulnier | — | Yea |
| Denham | — | Yea |
| Florez | — | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Padilla, Stephen C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 77% | 0% | 0% | 23% |
How each member voted (13)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Yee | — | Yea |
| Runner | — | Yea |
| Hancock | — | Yea |
| Corbett | — | Yea |
| Kehoe | — | Yea |
| Leno | — | Yea |
| Wolk | — | Yea |
| Oropeza | — | Not Voting |
| Walters | — | Not Voting |
| Wyland | — | Not Voting |
| Cox | — | Yea |
| DeSaulnier | — | Yea |
| Denham | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 82% | 18% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (11)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Hollingsworth | — | Nay |
| Huff | — | Nay |
| Oropeza | — | Yea |
| Ashburn | — | Yea |
| Simitian | — | Yea |
| Wolk | — | Yea |
| Harman | — | Yea |
| Kehoe | — | Yea |
| Pavley | — | Yea |
| DeSaulnier | — | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 159 do?
- (1) Existing law requires a person driving a vehicle on a freeway approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle displaying emergency lights, or a stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights to approach with due caution and, before passing in a lane immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle or tow truck, to either change lanes or slow to a reasonable and prudent speed, absent any other direction by a peace officer. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is an infraction. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires tow trucks used to tow disabled vehicles to be equipped with flashing amber warning lamps, and authorizes tow trucks to display flashing amber warning lamps while providing service to a disabled vehicle. Existing law prohibits a tow truck from displaying flashing amber warning lamps on a freeway except when an unusual traffic hazard or extreme hazard exists. This provision is repealed on January 1, 2010. A violation of this provision is a crime. This bill would delete the repeal date. Because this bill would extend a criminal violation indefinitely, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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.
- Who sponsors SB 159?
- SB 159 is sponsored by Ashburn and Simitian.
- What is the current status of SB 159?
- This bill died with 2009-2010 Regular Session. It reached “To Executive” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
- Where can I track SB 159?
- Track SB 159 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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