California legislation (AB 616) to require annual smog-check inspections for vehicles 15 years old and older has been approved by the California Assembly and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bill would also require that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which can be used to scrap older cars. You may recall that in 2004, a new law was enacted in California to require the lifetime testing of all '76 and newer model-year vehicles. Pre-'76 motor vehicles would remain exempt under AB 616. The bill has now been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee and will be considered on June 26. For more information click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.