Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Classic Cars Smog Exemption topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate panel advances 'Leno's Law' to exempt older collector cars from biannual smog checks
Summary
The Senate Transportation Committee advanced SB 712, known as Leno's Law, after hours of testimony from classic-car owners, industry groups and air-quality advocates. The bill would restore a rolling smog exemption for vehicles 35 years and older; opponents warned of increased emissions and weaker safeguards.
Senate Bill 712, authored by Sen. Grove and nicknamed “Leno’s Law,” was advanced by the Senate Transportation Committee after a day of testimony that drew car collectors, industry trade groups and air-quality advocates.
The bill would restore a rolling smog-check exemption for motor vehicles 35 years old or older and would exempt those cars from smog checks when the vehicle changes ownership. "Leno's Law will bring back that rolling exemption, something that car collectors have been asking for for many years," Sen. Grove said in opening remarks.
Why it matters: Supporters said the measure would relieve collectors of burdens that make it difficult to maintain and display preserved vehicles and would help keep cars, shops and related businesses in California. Jay Leno, identified in committee as the bill’s sponsor, told senators he uses newer electric cars for daily driving and works on older cars on weekends. "If you make it easier for them to meet the standard, you don't turn criminals out of people who can't afford a modern car," Leno said during testimony. Industry witnesses including Mike Spagnuolo, president and CEO of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, said the bill supports a statewide aftermarket economy and a new generation of hobbyists.
Opponents, including the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association and the Coalition for Clean Air, said the exemption would widen a loophole that could increase nitrogen-oxide and particulate emissions. "A 1982 passenger car that passes smog check emits approximately 23 times the NOx emissions of a 2025 car," a representative of the air districts told the committee, citing California Air Resources Board data. Will Barrett of the American Lung Association described the bill as likely to increase smog and public-health risks.
Committee debate focused on enforcement and the definition of "collector vehicle." Several senators said current law ties the existing collector exemption to proof such as specialty collector insurance and use limitations; those features, they said, were narrowed or removed in Grove’s draft. "What this bill does is it removes all practical checks on whether a car older than 1990 is actually a collector vehicle," said a senator who chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, noting the potential to widen the exemption beyond true hobby or show cars.
Outcome: The committee approved a motion to pass SB 712 to the Committee on Appropriations. At the roll call recorded in the hearing, the chair reported the bill as on call with nine yes votes and two no votes; the committee left the bill on call to allow absent members to vote later.
What’s next: The bill was scheduled to move to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further review of potential fiscal and program impacts.
Ending: Supporters urged senators to view the bill as narrowly targeted to cars that are preserved, displayed and rarely driven, while opponents warned the measure would effectively roll back emissions safeguards. The committee action keeps SB 712 alive for further amendment and consideration.
