A SEMA-opposed bill to ban motor-vehicle exhaust systems that increase the noise level above the level emitted by the originally installed system died when the Vermont State Legislature adjourned for the year. Under the bill, violators would not have passed the state’s required inspection. The bill also did not provide an opportunity for vehicle hobbyists to install and use aftermarket modified exhaust systems that meet an objective 95-decibel limit under a fair and predictable test and allowed law enforcement to make subjective judgments on whether an exhaust system increased noise. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.