(a) The Legislature hereby creates a pilot project to develop recommendations for requiring emergency road service organizations and their specified employees, within the state, to be certified and receive specified training in the interest of public safety. The project shall be limited to freeway service patrol operations for major urban areas. The project includes, but is not limited to, the issuance of tow truck driver certificates to employees and employers involved in freeway service patrol operations, criminal history checks for convictions of specified crimes, and training for enhancement of public safety. The purpose of the project shall be to develop recommendations for requiring all emergency road service organizations and specified employees, within the state, to be certified and receive specified training in the interest of public safety.

(b) This project shall be for a period of two years commencing on July 1, 1992. The department shall submit a report to the Legislature not later than September 1, 1994. The report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) The number of criminal history checks processed by the department.

(2) The number of specified tow truck driver certificates issued.

(3) The number of persons rejected for freeway service patrol operations as a result of the criminal history checks.

(4) The names of participating emergency road service organizations.

(5) An accounting of the number of certified persons who were subsequently disqualified for convictions of specified crimes, including the number of certified persons subsequently disqualified for convictions of specified crimes against those receiving service.

(6) The training received by specified personnel.

(7) Recommendations developed by the Emergency Roadside Assistance Advisory Committee regarding training, as specified in Section 2438, and guidelines for motorist safety, as specified in Section 2439.

(8) Information compiled from reports submitted by highway service organizations pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 2440.

(9) Recommendations for extending the requirements of this article and Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 2435) to all highway service organizations and their specified employees within the state.

(c) The Legislature declares that it is important to the public safety that tow truck drivers, who perform freeway service patrol operations under agreement with any specified public transportation planning entity, do not have criminal records which include violent crimes against persons.

(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 488, Sec. 3.)