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Committee approves bill criminalizing counterfeit or nonfunctioning airbags; moves SB 17 out of committee
Summary
Senate Bill 17, introduced by Senator Matt Klayman, would create a criminal offense for knowingly selling, installing, or manufacturing counterfeit or nonfunctioning airbags. After brief discussion and no public testimony, the committee voted to report the bill out with individual recommendations and six fiscal notes.
Senator Matt Klayman, sponsor of Senate Bill 17, told the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Feb. 17 that the measure ‘‘establishes airbag fraud as a crime’’ and would prohibit ‘‘dangerous actors from knowingly selling, installing, or manufacturing these dangerous and improper devices.’’ Klayman said the bill is intended to complement federal enforcement and ‘‘support federal efforts to stop the importation of counterfeit or non functioning airbags.’’
Committee members asked questions about the scope of the offense and whether the bill could unintentionally criminalize safe aftermarket parts. Senator Dunbar emphasized the committee’s intent that the statute not be used to penalize ‘‘aftermarket but otherwise safe products that simply don't meet the industry's own proprietary standards,’’ and the sponsor agreed the bill was not intended to target safe aftermarket alternatives.
No public testimony was offered during the committee’s public‑testimony period. An industry contact, Craig Orland, was noted as being on the line and available to answer questions, but no live testimony was recorded.
Following the discussion, a committee member moved to report Senate Bill 17 from committee ‘‘with individual recommendations and 6 attached fiscal notes.’’ The motion passed without objection; the committee clerk announced the bill ‘‘moves from committee with individual recommendations and attached 6 fiscal notes.’’ No roll‑call vote was recorded in the hearing minutes.
Because the bill was reported from committee with recommendations, it will proceed in the legislative process with committee amendments and fiscal notes to be reflected in the next version.
