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What is the legislative history and current status of AB 435 in 2025?
Executive summary
AB 435 — a 2025 California bill by Assemblymember Wilson to change child passenger restraint rules — cleared committees and both houses and was chaptered into law on October 7, 2025 as Chapter 434, Statutes of 2025; it replaces California’s definition of “properly restrained” with the federal/industry 5‑step test and takes effect January 1, 2027 (chaptered by Secretary of State Oct. 7, 2025) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and analyses show the enacted law is a narrowed version of the original proposal: advocates praise stronger safety standards while some lawmakers raised concerns about practicality, equity and enforcement [4] [5].
1. What AB 435 sets out to change: the 5‑Step Test becomes law
AB 435 amends Vehicle Code sections to substitute the existing “properly restrained” definition with the 5‑step test used by AAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — the child must sit all the way back, knees bend at seat edge, shoulder belt across chest, lap belt low on thighs (not stomach), and be able to stay seated correctly for the entire trip — and the change is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027 [3] [6].
2. Legislative path and final status: from committee votes to chaptered statute
The bill moved through the Assembly Transportation Committee (reported as unanimously passing that committee in March 2025 in some accounts) and onward through appropriations and floor action; official tracking shows AB 435 was passed and was “chaptered” by the Secretary of State on October 7, 2025 as Chapter 434, Statutes of 2025, meaning it is enacted into California law [5] [7] [2].
3. How the bill changed during negotiation: watered‑down from original proposals
Early drafts and reporting indicate AB 435 originally included stricter measures — for example, proposals to bar smaller teenagers from front‑seat riding and to extend booster requirements into middle‑school ages — but the final law is described in CalMatters as a “watered‑down version” after pushback from legislators; the sponsor acknowledged intra‑caucus resistance influenced those changes [4] [5].
4. Supporters’ case: safety evidence and policy goals
Supporters framed AB 435 as modernizing law to reflect evidence that seating/fit matters more than age alone and to increase use of appropriate restraints, pointing to the 5‑step test as a best practice promoted by AAA and NHTSA; committee analyses and sponsor materials cite research and the intent to reduce child injuries and deaths [6] [3].
5. Critics’ concerns: equity, enforcement, and practicality
Opponents and skeptical commentary raised questions about real‑world practicality (for example, policing who must sit where), potential equity implications for families without access to boosters, and enforcement burdens; reporting documented lawmakers’ balking at some proposed front‑seat and age restrictions and described political tradeoffs during negotiations [4] [5] [8].
6. What the law will require on the ground and the implementation timeline
As enacted, AB 435 revises multiple Vehicle Code sections (including 27315 and others) to adopt the 5‑step test; legal trackers and implementation notices list the effective date as January 1, 2027, providing about a year-plus lead time for outreach, enforcement guidance and public education [2] [3].
7. Local and advocacy reactions: mixed but focused on education
Public safety organizations (e.g., AAA, NHTSA references in the bill package) and local governments cited by analyses support the shift toward a fit‑based standard; reporting and committee documents emphasize outreach and car‑seat programs as part of reducing disparities, while libertarian and law‑and‑order commentators questioned expanded mandates or enforcement [6] [8] [9].
8. Limitations and what available reporting does not address
Available sources document the bill text, votes and high‑level reactions but do not provide exhaustive post‑enactment administrative guidance (for example, detailed enforcement protocols, funding for booster distribution, or a comprehensive fiscal impact study in the materials provided here) — those details are “not found in current reporting” among the supplied documents (not found in current reporting).
9. Bottom line for parents, schools and law enforcement
Starting January 1, 2027 California will use the 5‑step test as the statutory standard for whether a child is “properly restrained”; families should expect outreach and guidance before that date, and law enforcement and school/district transportation officials will need to reconcile the new statutory test with training and any local programs — the legislative record shows intention for improved child safety but also political compromise around stricter original proposals [3] [4] [5].
Sources cited here include the official bill and status pages (chaptering and bill text) and contemporaneous reporting and committee analyses used in media and legal summaries [1] [2] [7] [3] [5] [6] [4] [8].