California bill would continue BAR remedial training, citation nondisclosure program to 2028
A California bill passed by the Senate would continue a program that allows repairers who receive minor Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) citations to take corrective action without making the infractions public online.
SB 774 would extend the program through Jan. 1, 2028. It would otherwise be automatically terminated on July 1, 2026, under current law.
Under the program, BAR allows for an informal review process and recommendations on citations. As part of the review, BAR agrees not to post minor citations online, except for cases of fraud, when Automotive Repair Dealers (ARDs) — defined as any person who engages in the business of repair or diagnosing malfunctions in motor vehicles for compensation — and/or individual ARD employees complete remedial training. To be eligible for citation nondisclosure, the ARD must not have attended remedial training in the prior 18-month period from the effective date of citation.
Under the program, BAR allows for an informal review process and recommendations on citations. As part of the review, BAR agrees not to post minor citations online, except for cases of fraud, when ARDs and/or individual ARD employees complete remedial training. To be eligible for citation nondisclosure, the ARD must not have attended remedial training in the prior 18-month period from the effective date of citation.
BAR offers an online enforcement action search and a citation review panel that can review informal appeals.
According to the California Autobody Association (CAA), the remedial training program is modeled after the DMV’s traffic school and offers eight-hour courses.
If passed, CAA says the extension of the program would align with the BAR Sunset Review process, allowing for its evaluation and potential adoption as a permanent program.
Following unanimous Senate passage, the Assembly’s Business and Professions Committee passed SB 774 unanimously and referred it to the Committee on Appropriations.
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