(a)
Except as otherwise provided in this section or Section 44017.1, a motor vehicle owner shall qualify for a repair cost waiver only after expenditure of not less than four hundred fifty dollars ($450) for repairs, including parts and labor.
(b)
The limit established pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not become operative until the department issues a public notice declaring that the program established pursuant to Section 44010.5 is operational in the relevant geographical areas of the state, or until the date that testing in those geographic areas is operative using loaded mode test equipment, as defined in this article, whichever occurs first. Prior to that time, the following cost limits shall remain in effect:
(1)
For motor vehicles of 1971 and earlier model years, fifty dollars ($50).
(2)
For motor vehicles of 1972 to 1974, inclusive, model years, ninety dollars ($90).
(3)
For motor vehicles of 1975 to 1979, inclusive, model years, one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125).
(4)
For motor vehicles of 1980 to 1989, inclusive, model years, one hundred seventy-five dollars ($175).
(5)
For motor vehicles of 1990 to 1995, inclusive, model years, three hundred dollars ($300).
(6)
For motor vehicles of 1996 and later model years, four hundred fifty dollars ($450).
(c)
The department shall periodically revise the repair cost limits specified in subdivisions (a) and (b) in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index, as published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(d)
No repair cost limit shall be imposed in those cases where emissions control equipment is missing or is partially or totally inoperative as a result of being tampered with.
(e)
(1)No repair cost waiver shall be issued where a motor vehicle has failed the visible smoke test created by the department pursuant to Section 44012.1, unless paragraph (2) applies, or the vehicle is owned by a low-income person, as defined in Section 44062.1 in which case the repair cost limit applicable pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 44017.1 shall apply.
(2)
By January 1, 2008, the department shall adopt regulations allowing a repair cost waiver, with the repair cost limit specified in subdivision (a), where a motor vehicle has failed the visible smoke test component of a smog check inspection, for individuals under economic hardship but who do not meet the definition of low-income person, as defined in Section 44062.1. The regulations shall make eligible for the waiver those individuals whose household means fall below the level necessary to achieve a modest standard of living without assistance from public programs. The department shall consult authoritative information sources including, but not limited to, the United States Census Bureau, the Department of Finance, and the California Budget Project.