Consumerism

Consumerism Legislation

Consumerism Legislation

SB 85 (Murray-D) Health studios: contracts

Prohibits a contract for health studio services from requiring payments or financing exceeding the term of the contract.

Chapter 233, Statutes of 2001

SB 125 (Alpert-D) Identity Theft Resource Center

Allows an identity theft victim to obtain information about unauthorized requests for credit that have been made in his/her name.

Chapter 493, Statutes of 2001

SB 168 (Bowen-D) Identity theft: Social Security numbers

Enhances consumer protections against identity theft by (1) allowing consumers to place fraud alerts on their credit reports; (2) allowing them to freeze their credit records to stop them from being sold; and (3) prohibiting businesses and government agencies from many current uses of Social Security numbers, as specified.

Chapter 720, Statutes of 2001

SB 169 (Bowen-D) Personal information: facial recognition

Defines biometric identifier and facial recognition technology, as specified.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

SB 190* (Perata-D) Outdoor advertising displays

Exempts from the prohibition against placing advertising displays adjacent to landscaped freeways, up to five advertising structure or signs (billboards) used to support the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum complex, as specified.

Chapter 54, Statutes of 2001

SB 281 (O'Connell-D) Vehicle contracts

Updates the law regulating motor vehicle conditional sales contracts to require the itemization of any tire fee in the contract, and to no longer require the itemization of any smog impact fee in the contract.

Chapter 287, Statutes of 2001

SB 387 (Johnson-R) Consumer credit reports

Provides that a consumer has the right to request and receive from a consumer credit reporting agency a decoded written version of the consumer's file written in easily understood language and requires a consumer reporting agency to disclose this.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 481 (Speier-D) Vehicle dealers' licenses

Enhances a number of consumer protections related to motor vehicle advertisements to assist the vehicle purchaser to become more knowledgeable and ensure that a consumer does not pay more than the advertised price for a used vehicle.

Chapter 441, Statutes of 2001

SB 628 (Figueroa-D) Consumer warranties

Requires a manufacturer of consumer goods sold in California for which the manufacturer has made an express warranty to set forth in the warranty information in at least 12-point boldface type specified provisions regarding repairs and revises provisions of law relative to retailer's obligations to a consumer relative to a service contract.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 679 (Figueroa-D) Charity fundraiser disclosures

Enhances charity fundraiser disclosure provisions in order that persons solicited by commercial fundraisers are able to ascertain that a significant portion of a contribution may go to the fundraiser rather than to the charity to which they think they are donating.

(On Senate Inactive File)

SB 771 (Figueroa-D) Unsolicited telephone calls

Establishes a "do not call" list for residential and wireless telephone subscribers who do not want to receive telephone solicitations and prohibits telephone solicitors from calling subscribers who are currently on the "do not call" list. Requires the State Attorney General by 1/1/03 to maintain and update quarterly a list of subscribers who do not want to receive such calls. Placement on the list is good for three years and provides a subscriber fee up to $1 per three-year period.

Chapter 695, Statutes of 2001

Similar legislation is SB 17 (Figueroa-D), which died in the Senate Business and Professions Committee.

SB 773 (Speier-D) Financial institutions: confidential information

Enacts the Financial Information Privacy Act of 2002 which requires a financial institution to (1) provide notice to, and obtain the written consent of, a consumer before disclosing any confidential customer information to any third party, including any affiliated company, and (2) take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party providing such information to the financial institution has followed similar notice and consent procedures with regard to that information, as specified.

(Refused passage on Assembly Floor; motion to reconsider pending)

Similar legislation is AB 203 (Jackson-D), which failed passage in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, reconsideration granted; and AB 1289 (Florez-D), which is in Assembly Judiciary Committee.

SB 916 (Ackerman-R) Discount buying organizations

Creates an alternative full refund exemption of membership fees for publicly traded corporations. Establishes an escrow account of $50,000 with a federally insured bank or financial institution to issue refunds of membership fees at the request of the member.

Chapter 178, Statutes of 2001

SB 919 (Polanco-D) Outdoor advertising displays

Requires the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to comply with the Outdoor Advertising Act, the federal Highway Beautification Act, and the rules and regulations of local governments covering the construction of billboards on MTA land or rights-of-way.

Chapter 298, Statutes of 2001

SB 1050 (Torlakson-D) Consumer protection: industry theft

Requires the State Department of Consumer Affairs to report to the Legislature in early 2002 on the following: (1) a system to either encourage or require California retailers to verify identification when a customer uses a check or credit card; and (2) a system to ensure that individuals are complying with a provision of the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act which prohibits individuals accepting credit cards for business transactions from printing more than the last five digits of the credit card account number upon any receipt provided to the cardholder.

(In Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

SB 1178 (Burton-D) Automotive repair

Requires a study to be done regarding the certification of crash parts for the repair of vehicles. Appropriates $125,000 for the study.

Chapter 303, Statutes of 2001

AB 40 (Vargas-D) Amusement machines

Requires video arcade facilities to require each amusement machine in the facility to be labeled with a rating category indicating the nature of its content, as specified.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 187* (Liu-D) Food labeling and safety

Permits food establishments to sell Korean rice cakes that have been at room temperature for less than 24 hours, and requires manufacturers of Korean rice cakes to place a label on the rice cake that indicates the date of manufacture.

Chapter 204, Statutes of 2001

AB 256 (Wayne-D) Consumer contracts

Requires that if a consumer in the State enters into a consumer contract or transaction any action against that consumer arising out of or connected with that contract or transaction is to be conducted in a court of the State, as specified.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 357 (Correa-D) Health studio contracts

Rewrites the law regulating health studio contracts.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 371 (Koretz-D) Consumer credit reporting agencies

Requires a consumer credit reporting agency to notify a consumer when, within a 60-day period, the agency has received prior credit inquiries or has received a report that would add negative information to consumer's file, as specified.

(Failed passage in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 372 (Nation-D) Appliance and repair dealers

Makes substantive changes to existing law pertaining to the regulation of service contracts and home warranty contracts.

(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 488 (Kehoe-D) Consumer credit reporting agencies

Requires consumer credit bureaus to place in consumer's credit file and credit report the addresses and, if provided, the telephone numbers identified for customer service for the sources and recipients of credit information relating to the consumer. Takes effect 1/1/03.

Chapter 236, Statutes of 2001

AB 521 (Koretz-D) Student credit cards

Requires that the California State University and the California Community Colleges, and requests that the Regents of the University of California and private universities and colleges in the State adopt policies to regulate the marketing practices of credit card vendors on their campuses.

Chapter 294, Statutes of 2001

AB 603 (Dutra-D) Flammability standards: mattresses

Expands the flammability and labeling standards of the Office of Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation for mattresses, box springs, and other bedding products.

Chapter 199, Statutes of 2001

AB 623 (Runner-R) Flooring industry

Prohibits a flooring manufacturer from requiring a California flooring industry retailer to file a grievance claiming payments in any court other than this State. Makes void and unenforceable any waiver of this bill's requirement.

(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

AB 655 (Wright-D) Personal identifying information

Permits consumers to have their names removed from any list provided by a credit bureau to another entity for credit offers not solicited by the consumer. Expands the rights and protections afforded to consumers who are the subject of investigation by investigative consumer reporting agencies, as specified.

Chapter 354, Statutes of 2001

AB 839 (Lowenthal-D) Advertising: facsimile machine

Prohibits the use of facsimile machine to disseminate unsolicited advertising and promotional materials.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 865 (Hertzberg-D) Consumer credit: credit cards

Requires credit card companies to provide information in a cardholder's billing statement regarding the time and cost associated with paying off a balance using minimum payments. Directs the State Department of Financial Institutions to devise a table illustrating the time and cost of repaying an outstanding balance of various amounts subject to various rates and minimum payment amounts. Becomes operative 7/1/02.

Chapter 711, Statutes of 2001

AB 1088 (Jackson-D) Gender discrimination: pricing

Requires specified business establishments, such as tailors, hair solons, and dry cleaners to conspicuously display their prices for each standard service to customers. Requires that the specified business provide the customer a complete price list upon request. Provides for a $7,000 fine for violations of this bill.

Chapter 312, Statutes of 2001

AB 1560 (Nation-D) Automotive repairs

Clarifies current enforcement measures used to reprimand or adjudicate unlicensed automotive repair dealers, smog check stations and technicians for acts of auto repair and smog check fraud. Establishes performance requirements for manufacturers who must apply updated hardware components in monitoring equipment used in the State's smog check program.

Chapter 357, Statutes of 2001

Index (in Bill Order)