Government Affairs

Companies that purchase health care insurance and have less than 25 employees may be able to claim a tax credit. The credit varies according to size and average wages.

A bill targeted for defeat by SEMA to ban the “use and sale of any exhaust pipe that increases the sound emission of any vehicle including motorcycles” was set aside for study by the legislature.

SEMA is opposing legislation to raise the registration fee on antiques, street rods and special-interest vehicles in Kansas.

New cars with automatic transmissions must now be equipped with an interlock device that requires the brake pedal be pressed before the driver can shift the transmission out of “park." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took the action in response to a law passed in 2008 designed to protect children from vehicle rollaways in which a car is inadvertently shifted into neutral or another gear.

The new requirement applies to all passenger cars and light trucks weighing 10,000 pounds or less and takes effect on September 1, 2010.

President Obama signed into law a $40 million investment in a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) program that should spur $1.4 billion in small business loans.

Legislation that originally sought to prohibit public road use of a motor vehicle equipped to supply the engine with nitrous oxide was approved by the Mississippi Legislature and sent to the governor for his signature and enactment into law.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) moved closer to establishing a consumer information system to rate the fuel economy, safety and durability characteristics of most replacement tires.

California legislation (A.B. 1740) to eliminate the requirement that specially constructed vehicle registrations be limited to only the first 500 vehicles per year was not approved by the Transportation Committee on March 22. However, a modified version of the bill will be reconsidered by the committee on April 5, 2010.