Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation.

Existing law, the Electronic Appliance Repair Dealer Registration Law and the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of, among others, electronic appliance and repair dealers, upholstered furniture and bedding retailers, and upholstered furniture and bedding wholesalers by the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings, and Thermal Insulation and makes a failure to comply with its provisions a crime. Existing law establishes the bureau under the supervision and control of the Director of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires the director to administer and enforce those provisions relating to the licensure and regulation of electronic and appliance repair service dealers and persons engaged in various businesses associated with home furnishings. Existing law also requires the director to set certain fees by regulation. Existing law establishes the maximum amount for the initial registration fee for each place of business in the state of an electronic repair industry service dealer, an appliance repair industry service dealer, a service contractor, a person who is engaged in business as both an electronic repair industry service dealer and appliance repair industry service dealer, a service contractor who is engaged in business as either an electronic repair industry service dealer or an appliance industry service dealer, and a service contractor who engages in both the electronic repair industry and the appliance repair industry as a service dealer. Existing law requires a service dealer or service contractor who does not operate a place of business in the state, but engages in at least some of these activities in the state to pay these fees as if he or she had a place of business in the state. This bill would increase the maximum amounts of the initial registration fees for each of the above described persons, as specified, but would prohibit the director from adopting regulations to increase these fees before January 1, 2017. Existing law also establishes, among other things, the maximum amount for the annual registration renewal fee for each place of business for an electronic repair industry service dealer, an appliance repair industry dealer, a service contractor, and a service dealer who is engaged in business as both an electronic repair industry service dealer and an appliance repair industry service dealer. This bill would increase the maximum amount for each of these annual registration renewal fees, as specified, but would prohibit the director from adopting regulations to increase these fees before January 1, 2017. Existing law also requires the chief of the bureau, with the approval of the director, to set, within specified maximum and minimum amounts, the license issuance and biennial renewal fees for an importer, furniture and bedding manufacturer, wholesale furniture and bedding dealer, supply dealer, custom upholsterer, sanitizer, retail furniture and bedding dealer, retail furniture dealer, and retail bedding dealer. This bill would increase the maximum amount for each of these issuance and biennial renewal fees, as specified.