A bill to provide that the noise from a motor-vehicle exhaust system deemed “disturbing or unreasonably loud” constitutes the crime of disturbing the peace has been reintroduced for consideration in the West Virginia State Legislature. Under the bill, violators could be fined up to $1,000 per occurrence, jailed for six months or both.

SEMA-supported legislation has been reintroduced in the New York Assembly to provide that historical vehicle owners only pay a one-time registration fee of $100 upon initial registration. The reduced registration fee would be available to owners of historical vehicles owned and operated as an exhibition piece or collector’s item and used for club activities, exhibits, tours, parades, occasional transportation and similar uses.

In another misguided attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, legislation has been reintroduced in the New York State Assembly to establish a progressive purchase surcharge for some new motor vehicles based on state calculations of carbon emissions.

A SEMA-supported bill has been reintroduced in the Iowa Legislature to allow ’64 or older motor vehicles to be registered as “limited-mileage” antique vehicles for an annual fee of $10. Vehicle owners taking advantage of this registration class are permitted to drive these vehicles up to 2,500 miles annually.

A bill has been introduced in the North Dakota State Legislature to prohibit the modification of any motor vehicle that alters the manufacturer's original suspension, steering or brake system unless the state highway patrol issues an inspection certificate. Current law permits modification if the equipment meets “SEMA standards.”

A version of SEMA-model legislation to create a vehicle titling and registration classification for specially constructed vehicles, including kits and replicas, has been introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Legislators around the country have been busy over the past month and, consequently, so has SEMA’s government affairs office. Association staff has plowed through thousands of bills and identified hundreds that may be of interest to member companies. The most pressing of these bills result in Action Alerts being shot out to members and highlighted in SEMA News and the SEMA Action Network’s (SAN) monthly publication, Driving Force.

In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama called for repeal of the 1099 reporting requirement included in last year’s health care legislation. SEMA has steadfastly opposed the burdensome rule that will require businesses to issue 1099 reporting forms to all vendors from whom they buy more than $600 of goods or services in any year, beginning in 2012. Last year, SEMA joined with a number of other business groups in an effort to repeal the measure. However, lawmakers were unable to agree on how to fund the lost revenues.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) withdrew a SEMA-opposed plan that could have required companies to install soundproofing materials to comply with noise standards. Employers may currently meet the standard by providing workers with ear plugs or headsets.