An act to amend Section 12804.9 of, and to add Section 12528 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.
AB 1913 would create a new Vehicle Code section allowing employees of, and registered volunteers with, certain law enforcement agencies to operate specified “emergency equipment” after completing a required training program. The training would include at least 16 hours of classroom instruction, at least 14 hours of directly supervised behind-the-wheel instruction, and a written examination. The bill also sets qualifications for instructors, including minimum licensing and experience requirements, and requires participants to hold a valid California class C license.
The bill further amends the state’s driver licensing classifications to expressly include this emergency equipment within the class C license framework when the operator has completed the new training. It defines emergency equipment as certain motor vehicles or combinations of vehicles used to travel to and from emergency scenes, repair or repositioning locations, or to transport equipment used in emergency response, so long as the vehicles are owned, leased, rented by, or under the exclusive control of specified law enforcement agencies. The bill excludes CHP-licensed authorized emergency vehicles from this definition and states that vehicles operated under the new section are not exempt from Division 15 requirements. The new provisions are temporary and would become operative on January 1, 2029, with the corresponding code section set to sunset on that date.
The bill’s impact on state law is to add a new licensing and training pathway for certain law enforcement personnel and volunteers to legally operate a defined category of emergency equipment without needing a higher commercial-style license classification, while also updating the class C license statute to recognize that authority. It would affect the Vehicle Code, particularly Section 12804.9, and create new compliance obligations for agencies that choose to use this authorization, including training standards, instructor qualifications, and testing requirements.
Overall sentiment appears strongly positive and noncontroversial. The bill passed committee with unanimous support in the recorded votes, including 9-0 and 15-0 votes, and the latest committee action recommended it for the consent calendar. There is no committee transcript indicating opposition or significant debate, suggesting broad agreement on the measure’s purpose and structure.
No major points of contention are reflected in the available record. The main policy questions implicit in the bill are whether the training requirements are sufficient to ensure safe operation and whether the new authority should be limited to law enforcement agencies and their registered volunteers. The bill’s detailed instructor and training standards appear designed to address safety concerns, and the absence of recorded opposition suggests those safeguards were acceptable to legislators reviewing the measure.
AB 1913 would amend the Vehicle Code to authorize certain law enforcement employees and registered volunteers to operate defined emergency equipment after completing a prescribed training and testing program. It would also add emergency equipment to the list of vehicles that may be operated with a class C license when the operator has completed the new training, thereby creating a specific licensing exception tied to law-enforcement use. The bill would impose new statutory requirements for classroom instruction, behind-the-wheel training, written testing, and instructor qualifications, and it would take effect on January 1, 2029, with a sunset date in the same year for the operative section.
The available voting history shows unanimous support at each recorded committee step, with no recorded dissent. The bill was reported out with a recommendation for the consent calendar, which typically indicates it was viewed as routine or broadly acceptable. No committee transcript is available, but the procedural history suggests a favorable and largely uncontroversial reception.
No significant contention is evident in the available materials. The only likely policy issues are the scope of the new authority—limited to specified law enforcement agencies and their volunteers—the safety of allowing class C license holders to operate larger emergency equipment, and whether the training and instructor standards are sufficiently rigorous. The bill’s detailed training requirements and exclusion of CHP-licensed emergency vehicles appear intended to address those concerns, and the unanimous votes suggest no major disagreement among committee members.