(

a) Except as otherwise provided in this

section or

Section 44017.1, a motor vehicle owner shall qualify for a repair cost waiver only after expending at least four hundred fifty dollars ($450) for repairs, including parts and labor. (

b) The department shall periodically revise the repair cost limit specified in subdivision (

a) in accordance with changes in the Consumer Price Index, as published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (

c) A repair cost limit shall not be imposed in those cases where emissions control equipment is missing or is partially or totally inoperative as a result of being tampered with. (d)

(1) A repair cost waiver shall not be issued if a motor vehicle has failed the visible smoke test created by the department pursuant to

Section 44012.1, unless paragraph (2) applies, or the vehicle is owned by a low-income person, as defined in

Section 44062.1, in which case the repair cost limit applicable pursuant to subdivision (

b) of

Section 44017.1 applies.

(2) By January 1, 2008, the department shall adopt regulations allowing a repair cost waiver, with the repair cost limit specified in subdivision (a), where a motor vehicle has failed the visible smoke test component of a smog check inspection, for individuals under economic hardship but who do not meet the definition of low-income person, as defined in

Section 44062.1. The regulations shall make eligible for the waiver those individuals whose household means fall below the level necessary to achieve a modest standard of living without assistance from public programs. The department shall consult authoritative information sources including, but not limited to, the United States Census Bureau, the Department of Finance, and the California Budget Project.