Department of Consumer Affairs: Bureau of Household Goods and Services: electronic and appliance repair, home furnishings, and thermal insulation.

(1) Existing law establishes the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation, under the direction of a chief who is responsible to the Director of Consumer Affairs, and specifies that the powers and duties of the bureau shall be subject to review by the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature as if the provisions were scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2019. This bill would extend that date to January 1, 2023, and would rename the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation as the Bureau of Household Goods and Services and would make related technical changes. (2) Existing law authorizes the director, in accordance with the State Civil Service Act, to appoint and fix the compensation of inspectors and other personnel as may be necessary for the administration of the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act. Existing law also establishes the Division of Investigation within the Department of Consumer Affairs, comprised of investigators who have the authority of peace officers and the division is headed by the Chief of the Division of Investigation. This bill would specify that the director, in accordance with the State Civil Service Act and the provisions establishing the Division of Investigation, is authorized to appoint and fix the compensation of such clerical, inspection, investigation, and auditing personnel as well as a deputy chief as may be necessary to carry out the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act, and would require such personnel to perform their respective duties under the supervision and the direction of the chief. (3) The Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act provides for the licensure and regulation by the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation of persons engaged in various businesses associated with home furnishings, including custom upholsterers. The act requires a custom upholsterer to give a customer a written estimate of the price of the labor and materials necessary for a specific job. The act also requires all work to be performed by a custom upholsterer to be recorded on a work order containing specified information and requires one copy of the work order to be given to the customer before any work is performed and one copy to be retained by the custom upholsterer for at least one year. This bill would specify that the provisions pertaining to a written estimate shall not prohibit the use of a written estimate in electronic format. The bill would require a custom upholsterer who provides a copy of a work order to a customer in electronic format to retain an electronic copy of the order for at least one year, as specified. (4) The Electronic and Appliance Repair Dealer Registration Law provides for the licensure and regulation of service dealers, as defined, by the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation within the Department of Consumer Affairs and makes a violation of its provisions a misdemeanor. That law requires all work done by a service dealer to be recorded on an invoice and requires one copy to be given to the customer and one copy to be retained by the service dealer for at least 3 years. That law also requires a service dealer to provide an initial written estimate for the cost of repair, as specified. This bill would require a service dealer who provides a copy of the invoice to a customer in electronic format to retain an electronic copy for at least 3 years, as provided. The bill would specify that the provisions pertaining to a written estimate shall not prohibit the use of a written estimate in electronic format. (5) Until January 1, 2019, the Electronic and Appliance Repair Dealer Registration Law also specifically regulates service contracts and service contractors and defines the term "service contract" to mean a written contract to perform services relating to the maintenance, replacement, or repair of certain consumer goods. That law requires a service contractor to file a copy of the contract form it issues with the director of the department prior to its use. This bill, on and after January 1, 2020, would define the term "service contract" to apply more generally to all consumer goods, as defined, used for personal, family, or household purposes. The bill would require a service contractor to file a copy of the contract form it uses with the director no later than 30 days before use and to also file all documents incorporated by reference into a service contract per the contract form. The bill would require each service contract form filed with the director to have a unique number and last revised date. The bill would prohibit any changes to the text of a contract form unless the revised language has been submitted to the director for review, except as specified. The bill would also extend the operation of the service contractor provisions to January 1, 2023. Because the bill would expand the scope of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. (6) This bill would make technical changes to the Business and Professions Code. (7) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 27 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 1491 and AB 3261 to be operative only if this bill and either or both SB 1491 and AB 3261 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 101 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by SB 1482 and AB 3110 to be operative only if this bill and either or both SB 1482 and AB 3110 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (8) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.