The current law in California states that unless a gasoline powered car was built prior to 1975, it is not exempt from state emissions regulations. The vehicle must be smog tested, which is difficult to pass for an older vehicle even if it was made for the American market. The reason these strict and outdated laws are a problem is because many car enthusiasts from being able to register their cars, more specifically, their foreign imported cars. The federal government says the if a car is 25 years or older, it is exempt from federal emissions regulations and free to be imported. The California law conflicts with the federal law. The federal government says the vehicle is exempt, but California doesn't. The Supremacy Clause states that federal law trumps over state law.



