Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR)
SB 774: Passed in 2021, AB 471, among other things, authorized the BAR to establish an informal citation conference for automotive repair dealers and to create a program allowing remedial training in lieu of posting minor violations online until July 1, 2026. The bill included a sunset provision, which automatically terminates, for the BAR remedial training program for citations. This remedial program, modeled after the DMV’s traffic school, allows an automotive repair dealer to avoid public disclosure of BAR citations if they successfully complete a BAR-accepted eight-hour remedial training course. Originally set to expire July 1, 2026, this provision will now remain in effect until Jan. 1, 2028, aligning with the BAR Sunset Review process and allowing for evaluation and potential adoption as a permanent program.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA supports this bill.
Towing and Storage
AB 987: This bill would prohibit automotive repair dealers from charging storage fees on holidays and when the repair shop is closed. CAA met with the assembly member's staff and requested amendments. The bill was amended to address concerns.
Status: Senate Appropriations Committee.
EV Batteries
SB 615: This bill, among other things, requires that automotive repair dealers who remove electric battery from a vehicle for repair, remanufacturing or recycling must ensure the battery is disposed of properly, adhering to the end-of-life requirements specified in the legislation.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA has concerns.
AB 855: This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, on or before Jan. 1, 2027, to develop and post on its internet website an action plan for responding to electric commercial motor vehicle battery fires that covers specified topics, including best practices for reducing wildfire risk and mitigating the risk of battery reignition.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
Employment
AB 1221: This bill would require an employer, at least 30 days before introducing workplace surveillance tool, to provide a worker written notice that includes, among other things, a description of the worker data to be collected, the intended purpose of the workplace surveillance tool, and how this form of surveillance is necessary to meet that purpose.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA has concerns.
AB 1234: This bill would impose a 30% administrative penalty fee on every order, decision or award issued by the Labor Commissioner.
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
CAA has concerns.
AB 1331: This bill would limit the use of workplace surveillance tools, as defined, by employers, including by prohibiting an employer from monitoring or surveilling workers in private, off-duty areas, as specified, and requiring workplace surveillance tools to be disabled during off-duty hours, as specified.
Status: Senate Judiciary Committee.
CAA has concerns.
AB 1371: This bill would, among other things, allow an employee, acting in good faith, to refuse to perform a tasked assigned by an employer if it would violate those prescribed safety standards or if the employee has a reasonable apprehension that the performance of the assigned task would result in injury or illness to the employee or other employees.
Status: Assembly Labor & Employment Committee. Two-year bill.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 310: Existing law allows wage claim penalties to either be recovered by an employee as a statutory penalty or by the labor commissioner as a civil penalty, as prescribed. This bill also would permit the penalty to be recovered by an independent civil action through the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).
Status: Senate Floor – Inactive File.
CAA has concerns.
SB 464: This bill, among other things, requires an employer with 100 or more employees to collect and store demographic information gathered by an employer or labor contractor for the purpose of submitting the pay data separately from employees’ personnel records.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
Vehicle Emissions
AB 1368: This bill would extend the smog check exemption from vehicles that were manufactured prior to the 1976 model year, to any motor vehicle that is 30 or more model years old.
Status: Assembly Transportation Committee. Two-year bill.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 712: This bill, known as the Jay “Leno’s Law,” would fully exempt a collector motor vehicle from the smog check requirement if the vehicle is at least 35 model years old and proof is submitted that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle, as specified.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
Ignition Interlock Devices
AB 71: This bill would extend the sunset of the ignition interlock device program currently in place from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2033.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
AB 366: This bill would extend the operation of the ignition interlock device provisions indefinitely and would repeal related reporting requirements.
Status: Senate Public Safety Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
Career Technical Education
AB 401: This bill is intended to provide greater stability in funding for career technical education by automatically renewing grants awarded pursuant to the California Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program for three years if the grant recipient meets specified requirements.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 343: This bill would require the commission to grant a waiver from the minimum requirements for the three-year preliminary designated subjects career technical education teaching credential and the five-year clear designated subjects career technical education teaching credential to an individual meeting prescribed requirements, including, among other things, having a valid industry-recognized certification in a trade designated by the commission.
Status: Senate Education Committee. Two-year bill.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 845: This bill, among other things, makes several changes to the state’s framework for career technical education and work-based learning.
Status: Assembly Education Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
Other Bills of Interest
AB 646: This bill would limit the warranty benefit to the actual cost of replacing the catalytic converter if the warranty covers only the vehicle's catalytic converter.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
AB 1355: This bill would prohibit a covered entity, as defined, from collecting or using the location information of an individual unless doing so is necessary to provide goods or services requested by that individual and the individual has expressly opted into the collection or use of their location information for that purpose.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee – held in committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 354: Insurance Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2025. This bill would create and update standards for the collection, processing, retaining or sharing, collectively known as “processing,” of consumers’ personal information by licensees and their third-party service providers.
Status: Assembly Insurance Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 682: Prohibits a person from distributing, selling or offering for sale in the state a product that contains Polyfluoroalkyl substance, unless currently unavoidable. These substances are used in many products, including automotive products such as gaskets, shock absorbers and bushings. This bill is similar to last year’s SB 903, which died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Status: Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee.
CAA has concerns.
SB 766: California Combating Auto Retail Scams Act. The bill sets new requirements for motor vehicle dealers including customer disclosures, document retention, and a 10-day right to cancel for customers.
Status: Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 791: This bill increases the dealer document processing fee a dealer can charge when a buyer/lessee purchases a car.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
SB 861: This is the annual omnibus bill for the Department of Consumer Affairs and makes non-substantive, and non-controversial changes to the Business and Professions Code.
Status: Assembly Appropriations Committee.
CAA is watching this bill.
BAR Advisory Committee Meeting
The next BAR Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for July 31 and will include, among other things, a presentation by BAR on the new teardown regulations, which make substantial changes to how towing charges, teardowns and estimates involving third-party payors must be documented. CAA plans to attend and provide a report. Click here for details.
Pending Bureau of Automotive Repair Regulations
Vehicle storage fee regulations: The BAR is also moving forward with new regulations that will significantly impact how automotive repair dealers charge for vehicle storage fees. Under the proposed regulations, repair dealers that perform repairs resulting from accidents or theft recoveries must report their daily storage rate to BAR annually. The BAR will conduct a survey to identify the average daily storage rate.
The proposal has raised many concerns, including how storage fees are calculated and whether BAR’s oversight could limit the rates that repair dealers can charge.
For more details, click here.
