Win a New Motor by Sonny Leonard at PRI

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes, which raised over $100K last year.

https://performanceracing.com/news/sunnen-engine-charity-sweepstakes-tickets-now-available

Win a New Motor by Sonny Leonard at PRI

Tickets are now on sale for the annual Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes, which raised over $100K last year.

https://performanceracing.com/news/sunnen-engine-charity-sweepstakes-tickets-now-available

By Susan Alfonso

James Lawrence has been elected SEMA chairman-elect.

James Lawrence of Power Automedia has been elected chairman-elect and will help the SEMA Board of Directors lead the association in the next few years. Lawrence fills the position held for the past two years by Tim Martin of Aftermarket Advisors. Martin will begin his term as chairman in July.

Melanie White	Kathryn Reinhardt
Chris Douglas	Les Rudd

Melanie White of Hellwig Products and Kathryn Reinhardt of Pilot Automotive were also voted onto the SEMA Board of Directors, while Chris Douglas of COMP Performance Group and Les Rudd of Bob Cook Sales were re-elected and will serve another term.

SEMA Board members are industry representatives who volunteer their time to lead and guide the association. They are elected by SEMA-member companies and represent the key membership categories: manufacturers, distributors/retailers, manufacturers’ rep and services.

The entire 2019-2020 SEMA Board of Directors will be honored and recognized during the SEMA Installation and Gala, July 26, Anaheim, California. At the same time, outgoing Immediate Past Chair Doug Evans of Crower Cams & Equipment Co. Inc. and Kyle Fickler of Aeromotive Inc. will be concluding their volunteer terms and honored for their service and contributions.

The event will also feature a special tribute to the 2019 SEMA Hall of Fame Inductees Marla Moore, Bob Chandler and Bruce Crower.

By Susan Alfonso

James Lawrence has been elected SEMA chairman-elect.

James Lawrence of Power Automedia has been elected chairman-elect and will help the SEMA Board of Directors lead the association in the next few years. Lawrence fills the position held for the past two years by Tim Martin of Aftermarket Advisors. Martin will begin his term as chairman in July.

Melanie White	Kathryn Reinhardt
Chris Douglas	Les Rudd

Melanie White of Hellwig Products and Kathryn Reinhardt of Pilot Automotive were also voted onto the SEMA Board of Directors, while Chris Douglas of COMP Performance Group and Les Rudd of Bob Cook Sales were re-elected and will serve another term.

SEMA Board members are industry representatives who volunteer their time to lead and guide the association. They are elected by SEMA-member companies and represent the key membership categories: manufacturers, distributors/retailers, manufacturers’ rep and services.

The entire 2019-2020 SEMA Board of Directors will be honored and recognized during the SEMA Installation and Gala, July 26, Anaheim, California. At the same time, outgoing Immediate Past Chair Doug Evans of Crower Cams & Equipment Co. Inc. and Kyle Fickler of Aeromotive Inc. will be concluding their volunteer terms and honored for their service and contributions.

The event will also feature a special tribute to the 2019 SEMA Hall of Fame Inductees Marla Moore, Bob Chandler and Bruce Crower.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a proposed rule that would allow countervailing duties to be imposed on countries that undervalue their currency relative to the U.S. dollar. The rule seeks to detail how the DOC “determines the existence of a benefit resulting from a subsidy in the form of currency undervaluation and clarify that companies in the traded goods sector of an economy can constitute a group of enterprises for purposes of determining whether a subsidy is specific.”  

A countervailing subsidy is defined under U.S. law as a “financial contribution from a government or public entity that is specific and that provides a benefit to a foreign producer or exporter.” The DOC has issued the proposed rule since current law does not explicitly address currency manipulation whereby a country may devalue its currency to make exports less expensive for U.S. markets.

In related news, in its most recent report to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Treasury did not identify any currency manipulators among America’s major trading partners although the currency practices for many countries are being monitored including China, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Vietnam. The criteria applied by the U.S. includes a country that has a trade surplus with the U.S. larger than $40 billion; has a large overall current account surplus; and persistently intervenes in its currency markets.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a proposed rule that would allow countervailing duties to be imposed on countries that undervalue their currency relative to the U.S. dollar. The rule seeks to detail how the DOC “determines the existence of a benefit resulting from a subsidy in the form of currency undervaluation and clarify that companies in the traded goods sector of an economy can constitute a group of enterprises for purposes of determining whether a subsidy is specific.”  

A countervailing subsidy is defined under U.S. law as a “financial contribution from a government or public entity that is specific and that provides a benefit to a foreign producer or exporter.” The DOC has issued the proposed rule since current law does not explicitly address currency manipulation whereby a country may devalue its currency to make exports less expensive for U.S. markets.

In related news, in its most recent report to the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Treasury did not identify any currency manipulators among America’s major trading partners although the currency practices for many countries are being monitored including China, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Vietnam. The criteria applied by the U.S. includes a country that has a trade surplus with the U.S. larger than $40 billion; has a large overall current account surplus; and persistently intervenes in its currency markets.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation (H.B. 1755) introduced in Texas to create a specific registration and titling class for assembled vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Greg Abbott for approval.

Legislation (H.B. 1755) introduced in Texas to create a specific registration and titling class for assembled vehicles—including kit cars and dune buggies, and former military vehicles—passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Greg Abbott for approval.

H.B. 1755 will provide guidance to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles on how to treat assembled vehicles.  Currently, there is no specific registration and titling class for certain assembled vehicles such as dune buggies.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation (H.B. 1755) introduced in Texas to create a specific registration and titling class for assembled vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Greg Abbott for approval.

Legislation (H.B. 1755) introduced in Texas to create a specific registration and titling class for assembled vehicles—including kit cars and dune buggies, and former military vehicles—passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Greg Abbott for approval.

H.B. 1755 will provide guidance to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles on how to treat assembled vehicles.  Currently, there is no specific registration and titling class for certain assembled vehicles such as dune buggies.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation (S.B. 356) introduced in Nevada to allow for the titling and registration of retired military vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Steve Sisolak for approval.

Legislation (S.B. 356) introduced in Nevada to allow for the titling and registration of retired military vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Steve Sisolak for approval. Currently, retired military vehicles are not able to be titled or registered for use on highways in Nevada.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation (S.B. 356) introduced in Nevada to allow for the titling and registration of retired military vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Steve Sisolak for approval.

Legislation (S.B. 356) introduced in Nevada to allow for the titling and registration of retired military vehicles passed the legislature and now moves to Governor Steve Sisolak for approval. Currently, retired military vehicles are not able to be titled or registered for use on highways in Nevada.

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website.

For details, contact Christian Robinson at stateleg@sema.org.