AB 1174: Automotive Repair Act: violations: regulations: reports.

The Automotive Repair Act provides for the licensure and regulation of automotive repair dealers, among others, by the Chief of the Bureau of Automotive Repair under the supervision and control of the Director of Consumer Affairs. The act requires the director, on the directors initiative or in response to a complaint, to investigate a violation of the act, or of any regulation adopted pursuant to the act, by any automotive repair dealer, automotive technician, or employee, partner, officer, or member of any automotive repair dealer. The act authorizes the director to adopt and enforce the rules and regulations that the director determines are reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of the act and declaring the policy of the bureau, including a system for the issuance of citations pursuant to a specified law. The act, except as specified, makes a violation of any requirement of the act by any person punishable as a misdemeanor.

This bill would clarify that the specified law under which the director may adopt and enforce rules and regulations under the Automotive Repair Act authorizes any board, bureau, or commission within the Department of Consumer Affairs to establish, by regulation, a system for the issuance to a licensee of a citation when the licensee is in violation of the applicable licensing act or any regulation adopted pursuant thereto.

This bill would, with certain exceptions, require the bureau to adopt regulations regarding the bureaus policies and procedures for handling complaints, investigations, and all the bureaus methods of resolution, as specified. The bill would require the bureau to post on its Internet Web site the regulations adopted. The bill would require the bureau to track and retain data on every method of resolution attempted and completed by the bureau for each automotive repair dealer, including, but not limited to, the type of complaint being resolved. The bill would require the bureau to submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, that details the bureaus resolution efforts, as specified.