NICB Applauds Gov. Gavin Newsom and Assemblyman Randy Voepel

Voepel sponsored needed vehicle theft legislation

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 9, 2019 — The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) commends California Governor Gavin Newsom for signing Assembly Bill 391, sponsored by Assemblyman Randy Voepel (71-Santee).

In 2018, nearly 750,000 vehicles were stolen across the United States. Every state in the country is affected—but not equally. This is the case in California where one-fifth of the nation’s vehicles are stolen, despite California constituting just 12 percent of the country’s population. 

For these reasons, NICB—the nation’s leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and vehicle crime—recognizes Assemblyman Randy Voepel (71–Santee) for sponsoring AB 391, which was signed into law by Gov. Newsom on October 8, 2019. 

The new law will allow vehicle rental companies to more quickly report a stolen vehicle or vehicle procured by way of fraud, increasing the odds that the vehicle will be recovered and the car thief caught, curtailing their ability to steal more vehicles.

Vehicle theft is not a benign crime. Vehicles are often stolen under violent conditions, and increasingly criminal rings are turning to stolen cars to make big money and to use in the commission of other crimes. Vehicle theft increases familial stress, impedes access to work, and leads to higher insurance premiums for all Californians. 

Assemblyman Voepel deserves credit for recognizing this threat and taking legislative action to provide law enforcement with a necessary tool to help thwart it.