<VV> Way to go California - New law exempts our hobby

[scott morehead]

Here's a little more info on the California law, I could have been excited a little prematurely.

The new law becomes effective April 1, 2005. As originally written,
the bill would have required vehicles of the post 1975 era to undergo an 
enhanced smog inspection for the duration of the vehicles life.
However, hobbyists were able to secure a small concession in the enacted
version of the law, in which vehicles 35 years old or older of the post 1975 era need only undergo a basic Smog Check inspection, a tailpipe test, 
functional inspection of the fuel cap and a visual inspection for
liquid fuel leaks. To qualify for this basic test, these vehicles must be insured under a collector policy and only driven to parades, exhibitions, etc.

"With the California Air Resources Board having proposed yearly testing of these older vehicles, this new law could be far costlier and even more burdensome to vehicle collectors in the future," McDonald added. "Even the benefits of the less stringent smog check inspection available to these 1976 and newer model-year vehicles could be short lived. These regulators could set emissions standards to any level that suits their purposes in order to ensure inspection failures of these 1976 and later model cars. Nothing in this new law prevents regulators from bringing model-year 1968 through 1975 vehicles back into the Smog Check program at a later date."
    
As always, the SAN is grateful to the thousands of car clubs, media outlets and enthusiasts throughout the state that bombarded the Governors office with phone calls, letters and e-mails requesting his veto of the is bill. Working together, we will live to fight another day!


A Little Help from Our Friends

Our efforts to battle A.B. 2683 (see adjacent article for details on
the battle against A.B. 2683) in California did have some benefits. We
were able to renew ties to Sacramento lawmakers who have consistently 
supported the interests of automotive hobbyist vehicles from
collector cars, trucks and SUVs to sport compacts and everything in between. We were also able to create relationships with less-traditional allies. Special thanks must be directed to the most stalwart of these legislators who, when the fight intensified, unwaveringly supported our valiant cause, State Senators Tom McClintock, Betty Karnette and Chuck Poochigian and Assemblymembers Doug LaMalfa and John Campbell.

Senator McClintock and Assembly-man LaMalfa appeared on numerous talk-radio programs throughout California questioning the bills effectiveness in the weeks leading up to the Governors official signing.  La Malfa and Campbell delivered impassioned pleas to their fellow legislators to oppose the measure in speeches on the Assembly floor. Senator Karnette worked with the SAN to create workable amendments to the bill that would have created a valid collector-vehicle definition and permanently exempted these cars from Smog Check requirements. Despite initially voting for the bill, Senator Poochigian righted the ship and became one of the bills most vocal opponents and persistently advocated for a strong exemption for collectors. Assemblymember Campbell also spearheaded an effort to secure the signatures of 19 Republican legislators in both the Assembly and the Senate on a
letter requesting the Governors veto of A.B. 2683.

In the letter to Governor Schwarzenegger, these lawmakers stated:
"In 1997, the Legislature and Former Governor Pete Wilson agreed through 
Senate Bill 42 to a long-term exemption from smog check for vehicles
30 years old and older. A.B. 2683 violates this previous agreement with
the collector-car community." McClintock, Karnette, Poochigian,
LaMalfa and Campbell, among several others, remained true to the commitment made in 1997, and for that we are in their debt.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron F Hinz" <ronh@owt.com>
To: "scott morehead" <smorehead@lycos.com>
Subject: Re: <VV> Way to go California - New law exempts our hobby
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 10:41:02 -0700

> 
> I'm confused, so what's the status of a 1965 car that's insured for daily
> use, smog check or no?
> RonH
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "scott morehead" <smorehead@lycos.com>
> To: "Virtualvairs" <virtualvairs@corvair.org>
> Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 6:38 AM
> Subject: <VV> Way to go California - New law exempts our hobby
> 
> 
> > Governor Signs Smog Check Exemption Repeal Bill into Law
> >
> > Despite receiving thousands of messages in opposition to the bill
> > from dedicated SEMA Action Network (SAN) members across the state,
> > California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed A.B. 2683 into law.
> > The new law repeals Californias current rolling emissions-test
> > exemption for vehicles 30 years old and older and replaces it with a law
> > requiring the lifetime testing of all 1976 and newer model-year vehicles.
> >
> > We remain confident that the facts are on our side: Californias
> > 30-year rolling exemption recognized the minimal impact vintage cars have
> on air quality, since they constitute a minuscule portion of the overall
> > vehicle population. These older cars are overwhelmingly well maintained
> and
> > infrequently driven and are poor candidates for reducing pollution.
> > They are, in the end, convenient scapegoats for legislators, regulators
> > and stationary source polluters using exaggerated data and inflated
> > annual mileage assumptions in order to secure any legislative victory that
> > sounds as if it will reduce emissions.
> >
> > "The SAN has generally encouraged the enactment of environmental
> > legislation to create genuine air quality improvement," said SEMA Vice
> > President of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. "When such efforts
> > become the subject of hyperbole and misinformation, it is our duty to
> > speak out. We challenge supporters to spot a single vehicle of a
> > model year relevant to this bill on their next commute. These cars and
> > trucks are simply not the problem. The old-car hobby must stand united
> against future attacks from environmental activists and smokestack
> industries that will accomplish nothing except require unnecessary testing,
> waste money and burden car hobbyists."
> >
> > The new law becomes effective April 1, 2005. As originally written,
> > the bill would have required vehicles of the post 1975 era to undergo an
> > enhanced smog inspection for the duration of the vehicles life.
> > However, hobbyists were able to secure a small concession in the enacted
> > version of the law, in which vehicles 35 years old or older of the post
> 1975 era need only undergo a basic Smog Check inspection, a tailpipe test,
> > functional inspection of the fuel cap and a visual inspection for
> > liquid fuel leaks. To qualify for this basic test, these vehicles must be
> insured under a collector policy and only driven to parades, exhibitions,
> etc.
> >
> > "With the California Air Resources Board having proposed yearly
> > testing of these older vehicles, this new law could be far costlier and
> even more burdensome to vehicle collectors in the future," McDonald added.
> > "Even the benefits of the less stringent smog check inspection available
> to
> > these 1976 and newer model-year vehicles could be short lived. These
> > regulators could set emissions standards to any level that suits
> > their purposes in order to ensure inspection failures of these 1976 and
> > later model cars. Nothing in this new law prevents regulators from
> bringing
> > model-year 1968 through 1975 vehicles back into the Smog Check
> > program at a later date."
> >
> > As always, the SAN is grateful to the thousands of car clubs, media
> > outlets and enthusiasts throughout the state that bombarded the
> > Governors office with phone calls, letters and e-mails requesting
> > his veto of the is bill. Working together, we will live to fight another
> day!
> >
> > Scott Morehead
> >
> > -- 
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> 
> 



Scott Morehead

-- 
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