An act to amend Section 44011 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to air pollution.
Summary
AB 1368 would expand California’s smog-check exemption for older gasoline-powered vehicles. Under existing law, vehicles manufactured before the 1976 model year are exempt from biennial smog-check renewal testing; this bill would replace that fixed cutoff with a rolling exemption for any motor vehicle that is 30 or more model years old. The bill also makes nonsubstantive changes to the existing statute governing the state’s motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program.
In practical terms, the bill would allow more classic and older vehicles to avoid the regular biennial certificate of compliance or noncompliance requirement, while leaving other smog-check rules in place. The bill does not alter the separate collector-vehicle exemption for certain portions of the smog test, nor does it change the existing exemptions for motorcycles, newer vehicles, diesel vehicles, or other categories already listed in Health and Safety Code Section 44011.
Impact
AB 1368 would amend Health and Safety Code Section 44011, the core statute governing California’s smog-check program, by broadening the age-based exemption from pre-1976 vehicles to vehicles that are 30 or more model years old. That change would reduce the number of older vehicles subject to biennial smog-check renewal testing in program-covered areas and would affect vehicle owners, smog-check stations, and the Department of Consumer Affairs’ administration of the inspection program. The bill is not fiscal and does not create a local program, but it would change the scope of state air-pollution enforcement for older vehicles.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally favorable or at least noncontroversial treatment of the bill, but the context is limited. There are no committee transcript excerpts or recorded votes showing organized opposition, and the bill was filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56 after committee action, indicating it did not advance through the normal committee process in the available history. The measure’s narrow focus on older vehicles and its characterization as a smog-check exemption suggest it was framed as a targeted policy change rather than a broad air-quality rollback.
Contention
The main policy tension is between preserving air-quality protections and easing compliance burdens for owners of older vehicles. Supporters would likely view the bill as a modernization of the exemption threshold and a benefit to classic-car owners and hobbyists, while critics could argue that expanding exemptions may reduce emissions oversight and weaken the smog-check program’s effectiveness. The bill text itself does not identify any specific opponents or negotiated compromises, and no committee testimony is available to show whether concerns centered on environmental impacts, enforcement simplicity, or treatment of collector vehicles versus other older cars.
An act to amend Section 44011 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section Sections 259 and 4000.1 of the Vehicle Code, relating to air pollution.
An act to add Section 25534.07 to the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section 7856 of, and to add and repeal Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 7875) of Part 7.5 of Division 5 of, the Labor Code, relating to employment.