By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Interior to review up to 40 national monument designations dating back to 1996 and recommend whether any should be rescinded, resized or modified. The review applies to monuments larger than 100,000 acres and those designations the department determined were not sufficiently coordinated with stakeholders.

At issue is the 110-year-old Antiquities Act, a law that gives the president authority to preserve land with significant natural, cultural or scientific features. Hundreds of millions of acres have been set aside over the decades leading many to question whether the footprints are larger than necessary. Two examples include the 1996 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (1.88 million acres) and the Bears Ear National Monument (1.35 million acres), both in Utah. President Trump’s order requires Interior to provide an interim report on Bears Ears within 45 days and a final report on the other monument designations within 120 days.  

SEMA supports the review of national monument designations and legislation in the U.S. Congress to curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s). The issue is consequential since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land-management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. 

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Interior to review up to 40 national monument designations dating back to 1996 and recommend whether any should be rescinded, resized or modified. The review applies to monuments larger than 100,000 acres and those designations the department determined were not sufficiently coordinated with stakeholders.

At issue is the 110-year-old Antiquities Act, a law that gives the president authority to preserve land with significant natural, cultural or scientific features. Hundreds of millions of acres have been set aside over the decades leading many to question whether the footprints are larger than necessary. Two examples include the 1996 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (1.88 million acres) and the Bears Ear National Monument (1.35 million acres), both in Utah. President Trump’s order requires Interior to provide an interim report on Bears Ears within 45 days and a final report on the other monument designations within 120 days.  

SEMA supports the review of national monument designations and legislation in the U.S. Congress to curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s). The issue is consequential since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land-management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. 

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The Pennsylvania House approved legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates.

Legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates was approved by the Pennsylvania House and sent to the Senate for consideration. These plates would have the same force and effect as antique or classic registration plates and require a $75 application fee. 

The bill defines "historic military vehicle" to mean an antique or classic vehicle, including a trailer, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent the vehicle’s military design and markings accurately. 

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

The Pennsylvania House approved legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates.

Legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates was approved by the Pennsylvania House and sent to the Senate for consideration. These plates would have the same force and effect as antique or classic registration plates and require a $75 application fee. 

The bill defines "historic military vehicle" to mean an antique or classic vehicle, including a trailer, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent the vehicle’s military design and markings accurately. 

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

The Pennsylvania House approved legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates.

Legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates was approved by the Pennsylvania House and sent to the Senate for consideration. These plates would have the same force and effect as antique or classic registration plates and require a $75 application fee. 

The bill defines "historic military vehicle" to mean an antique or classic vehicle, including a trailer, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent the vehicle’s military design and markings accurately. 

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

The Pennsylvania House approved legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates.

Legislation to allow owners of historic military vehicles the opportunity to obtain historic military vehicle license plates was approved by the Pennsylvania House and sent to the Senate for consideration. These plates would have the same force and effect as antique or classic registration plates and require a $75 application fee. 

The bill defines "historic military vehicle" to mean an antique or classic vehicle, including a trailer, that was manufactured for use in any country’s military forces and is maintained to represent the vehicle’s military design and markings accurately. 

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 to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year.

Legislation to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year. Under the law, an excise tax is levied for the privilege of operating a motor vehicle or camper trailer on the public ways. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year.

Legislation to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year. Under the law, an excise tax is levied for the privilege of operating a motor vehicle or camper trailer on the public ways. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year.

Legislation to reduce motor-vehicle excise tax mill rates by 10% each year beginning in 2018 until the rates reach half of the current rates in 2022 and subsequent years was not considered in committee and is essentially dead for the year. Under the law, an excise tax is levied for the privilege of operating a motor vehicle or camper trailer on the public ways. 

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

By Katie Carson

Just as last year, this year’s PRO group will tour Mcity—the world’s first full-scale simulated urban environment designed for testing autonomous and driverless vehicles in real-world situations.

The Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) is hosting a general membership meeting on June 15 at the Detroit Metro Airport Marriot in Detroit. The meeting serves as an opportunity for council members to address restyling industry challenges and trends and weigh in on the needs of its member companies. PRO-member company employees are encouraged to attend to gain insight into council initiatives and network with industry friends, select-committee members and SEMA staff.

As an added bonus, attendees will tour the American Center for Mobility. Located on 530-plus acres at the famous Willow Run site, the Center is a purpose-built facility designed for testing, education and product development to enable safe validation and self-certification of CAV technology and to accelerate the development of voluntary standards. The U.S. Department of Transportation has designated the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run one of the first national proving grounds in the country.

The day kicks off with breakfast at the Detroit Metro Airport Marriot, Thursday, June 15, at 8:00 a.m, with the shuttle taking off for the innovative Mobility Transformation Facility, more commonly known as “Mcity” at the University of Michigan. The 32-acre facility is located on campus and is the first of its kind in testing new automated vehicle technologies and their capabilities to safely maneuver actual roadways. Public access to Mcity is limited, but PRO meeting attendees will enjoy a guided private tour.

After the tour, the group will reconvene at the hotel for the meeting. In the evening, meeting attendees will relax at Comerica Park for a Detroit Tigers baseball game.

RSVP now!

For more information, contact Senior Manager of Councils Allan Keefe at 909-978-6696 or allank@sema.org.