By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle titling and registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles has been reintroduced in the New York State Senate and Assembly. The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. Under the bill, kit cars and replica vehicles will be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble. An identical bill has been introduced in the New York Senate. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle titling and registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles has been reintroduced in the New York State Senate and Assembly. The bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. Under the bill, kit cars and replica vehicles will be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble. An identical bill has been introduced in the New York Senate. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation has been introduced in Texas to increase the emissions inspection period from an annual requirement to every five years. This bill would not affect a requirement that an emissions inspection be conducted during an initial inspection period in a county covered by testing. The measure acknowledges that it is senseless to test vehicles every year when the results demonstrate no significant air-quality benefits. The idea behind creating longer inspection periods is to reduce costs while not losing appreciable emissions reductions. This strategy builds support for emissions-inspection programs, but also directs finite resources to where they will be most valuable in cleaning the air. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation has been introduced in Texas to increase the emissions inspection period from an annual requirement to every five years. This bill would not affect a requirement that an emissions inspection be conducted during an initial inspection period in a county covered by testing. The measure acknowledges that it is senseless to test vehicles every year when the results demonstrate no significant air-quality benefits. The idea behind creating longer inspection periods is to reduce costs while not losing appreciable emissions reductions. This strategy builds support for emissions-inspection programs, but also directs finite resources to where they will be most valuable in cleaning the air. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-opposed legislation to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as “antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles” or “modified antique motor vehicles” was approved by the Connecticut Joint Committee on Planning and Development by a narrow 10–9 vote. Under the bill, vehicles seeking registration as antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles or as modified antique motor vehicles would be required to be at least 30 years old. 

Currently, vehicles 20 years old or older are eligible for this status and special license plates. For the purpose of property taxes, the bill also increases the maximum assessment of these vehicles from $500 to $2,500. The bill will now be sent to the Connecticut House of Representatives for a vote by all members. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-opposed legislation to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as “antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles” or “modified antique motor vehicles” was approved by the Connecticut Joint Committee on Planning and Development by a narrow 10–9 vote. Under the bill, vehicles seeking registration as antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles or as modified antique motor vehicles would be required to be at least 30 years old. 

Currently, vehicles 20 years old or older are eligible for this status and special license plates. For the purpose of property taxes, the bill also increases the maximum assessment of these vehicles from $500 to $2,500. The bill will now be sent to the Connecticut House of Representatives for a vote by all members. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-opposed legislation to increase the age requirement for vehicles eligible for registration as “antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles” or “modified antique motor vehicles” was approved by the Connecticut Joint Committee on Planning and Development by a narrow 10–9 vote. Under the bill, vehicles seeking registration as antique, rare or special-interest motor vehicles or as modified antique motor vehicles would be required to be at least 30 years old. 

Currently, vehicles 20 years old or older are eligible for this status and special license plates. For the purpose of property taxes, the bill also increases the maximum assessment of these vehicles from $500 to $2,500. The bill will now be sent to the Connecticut House of Representatives for a vote by all members. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff 

Working with state lawmakers, SEMA helped amend legislation that originally threatened to ban any covering that reduced the visibility of required motor vehicle lighting. Under the amendment, which was approved by the Arkansas House Public Transportation Committee, these coverings would be prohibited only when required lamps are in use. SEMA expressed its concern that the original bill could be misinterpreted to include such items as removable ornamental lamp covers, which are often used for shows, exhibitions and for street use during daylight hours. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff 

Working with state lawmakers, SEMA helped amend legislation that originally threatened to ban any covering that reduced the visibility of required motor vehicle lighting. Under the amendment, which was approved by the Arkansas House Public Transportation Committee, these coverings would be prohibited only when required lamps are in use. SEMA expressed its concern that the original bill could be misinterpreted to include such items as removable ornamental lamp covers, which are often used for shows, exhibitions and for street use during daylight hours. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff 

The U.S. Congress will soon hold hearings on whether to modify the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). The law mandates that an increasing amount of ethanol or other biofuels be blended into gasoline each year—levels that may be unattainable in the current marketplace. Congress enacted the RFS in 2005 and then dramatically expanded the volume of renewables to be blended each year, from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The RFS has been the driving force behind a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the content of ethanol in gasoline to rise from 10% (E10) to 15% ethanol (E15). E15 then becomes the way refiners will meet RFS mandates. 

In order to track compliance with the RFS quotas, the fuel producers are assigned “renewable identification numbers” (RIN) by the EPA. The producers are permitted to sell and trade RINs to meet their individual quota. However, there is now a struggle to meet the increasing ethanol quotas since few gas stations are selling the fuel and the car companies will deny warranties for E15-related damage. As a result, RIN prices have skyrocketed from $.07 in January to more than $1. The gasoline refiners are warning that we have reached the “blend wall”—the point at which the gasoline supply cannot handle any more ethanol.

Key Congressional leaders have now issued a letter to the EPA asking for immediate action to address the issue of rising RIN costs and potential fuel price increases. SEMA is working with a diverse coalition of organizations to oppose E15 and set realistic goals for the Reformulate Fuel Standard. SEMA supports HR 875 and S. 344 to halt E15 sales. 

For more information, please contact Dan Sadowski at dans@sema.org.