Small-business owners and consumers shopping for health insurance have a new tool to learn more about the health care options in their area. The site, www.healthcare.gov, provides information on coverage options, health care providers and important dates for the implementation of the new health care law.

This Friday, industry professionals and enthusiasts across the country will gather tocelebrate collector cars. The U.S. Senate declared July 9, 2010, as “Collector Car Appreciation Day” when it passed Senate Resolution 513(S. Res. 513) at the request of SEMA and the Automotive RestorationMarket Organization (ARMO) council.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate to create a large, new wilderness reserve in central Idaho has been endorsed by the Obama administration. The legislation threatens to designate nearly 330,000 acres of land in central Idaho as wilderness, the most restrictive designation that can be placed on public lands. SEMA opposes the legislation as drafted since many off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails in the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests could be closed as a result of its passage.

As of January 1, 2011, it will be illegal to sell or install a wheel weight that contains lead or mercury in Illinois. The state joins several others that have enacted laws banning the manufacture, sale and use of lead wheel weights. California’s law went into effect on January 1, 2010. Maine, Vermont and Washington also ban the products while Iowa, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin have considered a ban.

One week remains for diesel performance parts manufacturers to have these parts placed on the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) “Parts in Progress List,” thereby providing a one-year period for obtaining emissions compliance for these components.

After passing in the Assembly with the full support of the automotive hobbyist community, the California Senate Transportation Committee failed to approve legislation to increase the registration limit for exempted specially constructed vehicle registrations from 500 to 750 vehicles per year. The bill was defeated on a 3 to 5 vote.

On March 23, President Obama signed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” into law, completing a year of contentious debate and creating the largest government mandate in recent history. Given the sweeping nature of the legislation, it will take some time for the ramifications of this historic action to be fully understood. However, some facts are immediately known. [Read More]

The SEMA Political Action Committee (SEMA PAC) has unveiled a redesigned website at www.semapac.com that makes participating in the PAC easier than ever. At the website, members can learn more about actions taking place on Capitol Hill, which have a direct impact on our industry and your company. For the first time, you can sign-up to become “PAC-approved” (allowing SEMA to communicate directly with you about PAC activities) or make an online contribution through our new, safe, electronic forms.

Manufacturers of diesel performance parts have just three weeks left to apply for a one-year period of obtaining emissions compliance with the California Air Resources Board.

For the past 14 years, a coalition of lawmakers who support the automotive specialty-equipment aftermarket and recognize our industry's positive economic impact has been growing on Capitol Hill. The Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus is now nearing 100 members and pays tribute to America's ever-growing love affair with the car and motorsports.

Here are the current members of the caucus.