Leno's Law Killed In Committee, California Car Collectors Cry

Comedian and car collector Jay Leno tried to usage his sizeable power to make life easier for California enthusiasts. SB 712, besides known arsenic Leno's Law, would person exempted cars 35 years and older from nan state's strict emanation testing. It was a valiant effort, but unluckily for California car nuts, nan measure has been killed successful committee without moreover reaching a Senate vote, reports ABC 7.

Leno teamed up pinch Senator Shannon Grove to present nan measure successful February. In its original form, cars 35 years aliases older would person been made exempt from emissions testing. A truth sheet from nan Senator's agency cites classical cars arsenic nan logic for this bill. Cars this aged are seldom driven, well-maintained, and are typically owned for their humanities worth alternatively than utilized arsenic regular drivers, meaning that their exemption from smog regulations would person a minimal effect connected aerial quality. 

California's existent laws require each vehicles from 1976 and newer to walk an emanation trial each 2 years and upon transportation of ownership. It tin beryllium highly difficult to get Radwood era cars to walk modern emanation tests. Their emanation systems are analyzable and antiquated by modern standards. The testing instrumentality needed for pre-OBD2 cars built earlier 1996 required tailpipe sniffers and moreover dedicated dynos. They weren't that accurate moreover erstwhile new, yet Californians must hunt for a shop that tin trial older cars, salary galore times much for nan test, and walk much to support their outdated emanation controls working.

A 35-year rolling exemption is beautiful reasonable, moreover for a authorities for illustration California that's truthful obsessed pinch emissions that it sets its ain standards that are much strict than nan national authorities (though perhaps not anymore). Massachusetts, for example, exempts vehicles 15 years and older from emanation tests. New York only tests vehicles up to 25 years old. But legislators were still acrophobic this would unfastened a loophole for Californians to commencement utilizing older vehicles arsenic regular drivers, specifically to bypass emissions tests. They added an amendment that would require exempt vehicles to beryllium registered and insured arsenic collector cars, SEMA says, limiting their use to historical, exhibition, aliases nine activities.

Later, further amendments wholly nerfed nan bill's original intent. Its last form, which was to return effect successful 2028, would only exempt vehicles made earlier 1981, which would past beryllium 47 years old. It would go a rolling exemption for 5 years, but this constricted scope would thief a overmuch smaller property scope of cars than nan original 35-year exemption, leaving galore modern classics retired of nan loop.

It doesn't matter successful nan extremity anyway. Although Contra Costa News reports it passed nan California Senate Transportation Committee pinch bipartisan support successful April, the Assembly Appropriations Committee unopen it down, refusing to bring nan measure to nan afloat Senate for a vote. This is why we can't person bully things. Thanks for trying, Jay.