Hello all Californians and others in the US,
On Friday August 27, 2004 The state legislature passed at least two
bills. One of the bills is described in the forwarded message below
from Haggerty news.
The other bill that was passed was AB 2895 that is will give ILLEGAL
ALIENS California drivers licenses without any notation that the holder
has commited a felony by entering the US without permission. This is an
attempt to give them the right to vote that US citizens convicted of
felonies do not have. They have left open the option to reimpose smog
testing on our roadsters made after 1965. It would be tragic for all
the '66 and later roadsters with neat engine conversions such as SR20
and KA24 to be declared SMOG ILLEGAL and ban them from the roads while
illegal aliens are encouraged to drive on the congested roads.
What a pity that our legislators can find the time to pass laws that
could eliminate 30 year old collector cars and at the same time give
illegal alien felons taxpayer paid benefits. An example is that illegal
aliens go to State colleges and universities and pay California resident
tuition or less while a person from the neighboring state of Nevada pays
much higher non-resident tuition even though they are legally here.
Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger and request that he VETO both
bills.
He can be reached by email at: governor@governor.ca.gov
My two cents,
Stan
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FORWARDED MESSAGES
At 01:46 PM 8/31/2004 EDT, CarterCM@aol.com wrote:
From: "Hagerty News"
To: "Craig Carter"
Subject: FINAL STAND--CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS EXEMPTION REPEAL BILL MOVES
TO GOVERNOR FOR SIGNATURE OR VETO
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 11:52:02 -0400
URGENT CALIFORNIA ALERT--IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
The Specialty Equipment and Manufacturers Association (SEMA) sent the
Hagerty Protection Network the following Urgent Legislative Alert to
share with our customers, agents, and supporters in California. If you
have any questions regarding this alert, please call or email Sydney
McManus, Hagerty Protection Network Legislative Director, at
800-922-4050, x8787 / <mailto:smcmanus@hagerty.com>smcmanus@hagerty.com
or Steve McDonald, SEMA Vice President of Governmental Affairs at <
mailto:stevem@sema.org>stevem@sema.org.
The Final Stand: California Emissions Exemption Repeal Bill Moves to
Governor for Signature or Veto
On Friday (Aug. 27), the California Legislature approved A.B. 2683 with
damaging amendments. A.B. 2683 is the legislation that would repeal the
state's current rolling emissions-test exemption for vehicles 30 years
old and older. The bill repeals the current pro-hobbyist exemption and
replaces it with a law requiring the PERMANENT testing of all 1976 and
newer model-year vehicles. The amendments do not protect car collectors
and are being opposed by Hagerty, SEMA and the major car clubs and
organizations in California. The bill is now in the hands of the
Governor who can choose to veto it or sign it into law.
We Urge You to Contact Governor Schwarzenegger IMMEDIATELY to Request
His Veto of A.B. 2683!
The Governor may be reached at:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
The bill requires the following:
1. Require vehicles of the post 1975 model year insured as
collector cars (driven only to parades, exhibitions, etc.) and at least
35-years old to continue in the Smog Check program for the duration of
the vehicle's life.
2. Revise the Smog Check testing regimen for these qualifying
vehicles to include a tailpipe test, functional inspection of the fuel
cap and a visual inspection for liquid fuel leaks. The vehicle would be
forced to comply with the exhaust emissions standards for the vehicle's
class and model year as prescribed by California regulators.
Despite assurances from the bill's sponsors that a good faith effort
would be made to address hobbyist concerns, this bill continues to
betray the trust of the collector car community. There is nothing that
differentiates a 1975 from a 1976 vehicle requiring one be accorded a
lifetime exemption while the other is not. Further, with regulators
having proposed yearly testing of these older vehicles, this bill could
be far costlier and even more burdensome to vehicle collectors in the
future. In addition, 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. Finally, nothing in this bill would
stop regulators from bringing 1975 and older vehicles back into the Smog
Check program at a later date.
The truth remains the same:
*
California's current law recognizes the minimal impact of vehicles
30-years old and older on vehicle emissions and air quality.
*
Vehicles 30-years old and older still constitute a minuscule portion of
the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look
for emissions reduction.
*
Antique and classic vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and
infrequently driven (a fraction of the miles each year as a new
vehicle).
*
Legislators, regulators and stationary source polluters are feeling the
heat from a failed effort to meet air quality goals and are looking for
a convenient scapegoat, using false data and inflated annual mileage
assumptions to further their case. The old car hobby should not carry
the burden of their mistakes!
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