The 2022 legislative session ended late Thursday night, August 31. The Governor has until September 30 to sign or veto bills on his desk. Below is a list of key bills we tracked this year. We will continue to monitor bills on Governor's desk and report. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Jack Molodanof
Legislative Bills
Catalytic Converter Theft Bills - Concerns
AB 1740 – Requires core recyclers who accept converters from commercial enterprise, which includes auto repair dealers, to obtain the following from seller: name, business address and phone, business license or tax ID, date of sale, number of converters sold, amount of money and written agreement to be kept for two years. Status: Governor’s Desk.
SB 1087 - Requires core recyclers who accept converters from seller to obtain and maintain written records, including name, date number of converters and amount of money and specifically prohibits any person from purchasing used converter other than specified business which includes an auto repair dealer. Status: Governor’ Desk.
Employment Bills - Concerns
AB 1949 – Requires employers with five or more employees to provide employees up to 5 unpaid days of employee bereavement leave upon the death of a family member. Status: Governor’s Desk.
AB 2243 – Requires Cal-OSHA to submit a proposal to the Heath Standards Board to revise the heat illness standard. Status: Senate Governor’s Desk.
SB 1044 – Prohibits an employee, in the event of emergency, from threatening adverse action against an employee for refusing to report to work because employee has reasonable belief that workplace is unsafe. Status: Governor’s Desk.
SB 1162 – Requires employers of 100 or more workers to submit annual pay data reports by company name. Encourages litigation against employers based on the unreliable data collected by the state. Undermines employers’ ability to hire, imposes burdensome administrative and record keeping, and subjects’ employers to potential private right of action and penalties under PAGA. Status: Governor’s Desk.
COVID-19 Relief for Employers – Support
AB 152 – Support – This bill establishes Covid-19 Relief grant program to assist qualified business that are incurring costs for Covid-19 Supplemental paid sick leave. Status: Governor’s Desk.
Tires – Watch
SB 1181 – This bill requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to strengthen the California tire tracking system to quantify the number of used tires flowing from and through California into Mexico. Status: Governor’s Desk.
Hydrofluorocarbon Gases – Concerns
SB 1206 – This bill prohibits a person from selling or distributing hydrofluorocarbons gases (which are used in refrigerants, air conditioning, etc.) that exceed global warming limits. Status: Governor’s Desk.
Vehicle Exhaust – Concerns
AB 2496 – As introduced, this bill would have required smog stations to include a sound level test that vehicles would fail smog if the exhaust system emits a sound level of more than 95dBA. The bill has been amended to delete the smog check station requirements and instead require a court, beginning January 1, 2027, to notify DMV to place a registration hold on a vehicle found to have a noncompliant modified muffler until the court has been presented with a certificate of compliance from a referee authorized to test the vehicle. Status: Governor’s Desk.
Bills we followed that died which we had concerns.
AB 2407 – Requires core recycler who accepts converters from seller to have a written agreement and obtain thumb prints from seller disposing of catalytic converters. The bill was amended to exempt automotive repair dealers from thumb print requirements. Status: Died.
AB 2682 – Any auto repair shop that installs or replaces a catalytic converter must ensure that it is engraved or otherwise permanently marked with VIN. The repair shop may charge a reasonable fee for permanently marking the converter. A smog station must visually inspect and notify customer whether or not converter engraved with VIN. The smog station needs only perform a visually inspection without any responsibility of removing any part, if converter not visible. The bill also makes it a crime to remove or alter a VIN that has been added to the catalytic converter. Status: Died.
SB 986 – Requires core recyclers who accept converters to maintain specified written records from seller with sufficient particularity, including markings to match any converter in recyclers inventory to written agreement and prohibits a dealer from selling a vehicle unless converter has been engraved, etched or permanently marked with VIN. Status: Died.
AB 1993 – Mandates employers to require each employee to show proof that employee has been vaccinated against covid-19. Status: Died
AB 2932 – Requires all employers to pay overtime to employees working more than 32 hours a week. Status: Died.
AB 2968 – The bill would revise engine oil specifications and prohibit transmission fluid from being sold without clearly disclosing each duty type classification. Status: Died.
AB 1 – This bill makes technical corrections to the current notice requirement to reflect the increase of the battery fees. Status: Died.
AB 2350 – Requires CARB to establish the Zero Emissions Aftermarket Conversion Project to provide applicant with a rebate for the aftermarket conversion of a motor vehicle into zero emissions vehicle. Status: Died.
Bills we followed that died which we Supported.
SB 1349 – Support – Allows for $1,000 state tax credit for each employee hired by employer. Status: Died.
AB 1864 – Support – Allows for a tax credit against taxes to qualified small business employers in an unspecified amount for each newly hired employee, as specified. Status: Died.
AB 2058 – Support – This bill would increase career tech funding from $300 million to $450 million annually. Status: Died.