The bill passed with a 42-26 vote, one more than the simple majority needed. Introduced by Assemblymember Bill Monning, AB 753 would require car rental companies to ground and fix all vehicles under a safety recall before renting them.
The American Car Rental Association has drafted a series of proposed amendments to the bill. The amendments seek to: move the proposed safety recall provisions from the Civil Code section into the Vehicle Code, allow for manufacturer-specified interim repairs, recognize "staged" recalls (when the recall is staggered by date, for instance) and regional recalls and extend the recall rules requirement to "any owner of more than 10 vehicles who permits its employees, customers or other persons to operate a vehicle."
The measure now goes to the state Senate. A hearing is expected in June.