Committee Hearing on Amended California Bill to Exempt Pre-1981 Vehicles from Emissions Inspections Postponed Until Monday, May 9, 2016

• S.B. 1239 recognizes the minimal impact of pre-1981vehicles on emissions and air quality.
   
• S.B. 1239 acknowledges that pre-1981 vehicles still constitute a minuscule portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reduction.
   
• S.B. 1239 endorses the fact that pre-1981 vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven (a fraction of the miles each year as a new vehicle).
   
• For years, legislators, regulators and stationary source polluters have felt the heat from failed efforts to meet air quality goals and have looked to older cars as a convenient scapegoat, using false data and inflated annual mileage assumptions to further their case.  S.B. 1239 helps validate the truth.  The old car hobby should not continue to carry the burden of past mistakes!

Overview: A hearing on amended legislation (S.B. 1239) to exempt all motor vehicles prior to the 1981 model year from emissions inspection requirement was postponed until Monday, May 9, 2016. Under the amendment, vehicles manufactured after the 1976 model year but prior to the 1981 model year would be exempted if the owner submits proof that the vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle.  In addition, this exemption would be a 2-year trial that would need to be renewed by separate legislation in order to continue.  Current law requires the lifetime testing of all 1976 and newer model-year vehicles.  While this amendment amounts to a significant dilution of the previous version of the bill, we believe it is still worth supporting.

California Senate Appropriations Committee