Government Affairs

Legislators around the country have kept busy authoring bills that could impact the specialty-equipment industry. Here's how to stay updated and ensure that representatives hear your voice.

The U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator has requested public comments on how to shape an intellectual property (IP) enforcement strategy which unifies all of the federal government’s resources towards a common goal.

A U.S. Department of the Interior document indicates that the agency plans to designate 14 new or expanded national monuments in the western United States. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar provided subsequent assurances that the plans were preliminary and that the Obama Administration would not bypass input from the local communities, governors and Congress if the plans move forward.

A substitute bill to ban the use of most aftermarket exhaust systems has been introduced in the Utah Legislature and passed by the Senate Transportation Committee.

SEMA again helped turn back legislation in the Washington Legislature that would have implemented a vehicle scrappage program for passenger vehicles more than 15-years old.

SEMA is supporting a bill in the Oklahoma Legislature to reduce the annual registration fee for vehicles 25 years old and older to $5. Under current law, these vehicles are assessed at a rate of $15 per year.

Legislation that would have expanded the definition of “abandoned motor vehicle” to include vehicles that were left unattended for more than six hours on private property without valid plates, title or permit will not be considered in the 2010 legislative session.

A SEMA-supported bill in the West Virginia Legislature to provide owners of antique motor vehicles with a reduced personal property tax assessment has been passed by the Roads and Transportation Committee.

According to Kansas legislators, support for a SEMA-opposed bill that would allow cities to enforce “nuisance abatement” procedures by notifying affected property owners by use of first-class mail instead of certified mail (with a return receipt) has been withdrawn.

Under the SEMA-supported bill, vehicles four years old or newer would be exempt from Maryland's mandatory test requirements.