The Massachusetts legislature Joint Committee on Transportation is holding a hearing today about the House and Senate bills that would create state auto glass replacement safety standards.
The identical bills are two of several pieces of legislation “regarding bicycles and pedestrians, motorcycles, railroads, school buses, speed limits and vehicle operational safety” scheduled to be heard at the statehouse in Boston this afternoon.
H 3295 and S 2276, introduced by Representative Josh Cutler and Senator Susan Moran, direct the Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles to adopt regulations that “meet or exceed the standards and requirements of the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS), developed by the Auto Glass Safety Council under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute.”
The proposed regulations would also require products and services to meet or exceed original equipment manufacturer specifications and glass that meets federal and American National Standards Institute specifications. Under the bills, the Registrar would also maintain a list of conforming safety glass.
The bills define “Aftermarket safety glass replacement” as motor vehicle safety glass replacement services that occur after the original installation by a vehicle manufacturer.
Similar legislation was introduced by Rep. Cutler last year and received a hearing before the Joint Committee in March. This year, Senator Moran, a member of the Joint Committee, joined the effort and introduced the same bill in the Senate. The bills are patterned after legislation that was enacted in Maryland in 2021.
Representatives of the Auto Glass Safety Council were among advocates who testified in support of the legislation last year. AGSC has supported enacting standards similar to its AGRSS Standard into state law to widen the coverage of the voluntary industry standard.
Peter Brown, president of Tiny and Sons of Pembroke, Mass., testified in support of the bill last year and told glassBYTES that “The AGRSS Standard is the right starting point for developing a Massachusetts auto glass safety standard.”
Massachusetts licenses auto glass services companies doing business in the state but does not impose any quality or safety standards on the installation and recalibration processes.
The Massachusetts legislature is currently in the first year of the 2023-2024 legislative session.
