Importing product into the United States just became more complicated and costly due to a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulation.
SEMA members responded to a comprehensive survey conducted in early 2009 with a clear message that the nation’s health care system is broken.
Law and Order is an update of some of the most recent federal and state legislative and regulatory issues that could potentially impact the automotive specialty-equipment industry.
Each day, new laws are being considered that may significantly impact your business.
At the urging of SEMA and the hobbyist community in the state, West Virginia legislation has been amended in committee. The bill originally sought to redefine “abandoned motor vehicles” to include vehicles or vehicle parts which are either unlicensed or inoperable, or both, are not in an enclosed building and have remained on private property for more than 30 days.
A SEMA-supported bill (H.B. 6226) has been introduced in the Connecticut State Legislature to provide an exemption from property taxes for antique, rare and special interest vehicles. The bill is pending in the Joint Transportation Committee for consideration.
Connecticut law defines an "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" as a motor vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications.
While hobbyists and related businesses have worked diligently to defeat proposals in Washington, DC to create a national cash for clunkers program, a bill (H.B. 1207) has been introduced in the North Carolina State Legislature that would implement a state vehicle scrappage program for passenger vehicles that are at least 14-years old.
SEMA reached agreement with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on an alternative to legislation that originally sought to prohibit the sale and distribution of aftermarket motor vehicle parts if alternatives are available that “decrease greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a finding that high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions endanger the health and welfare of current and future generations of Americans. The decision comes nearly two years after the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the authority and duty to consider regulating CO2 emissions.
The Court’s intervention was sought since carbon dioxide is a natural chemical rather than a traditional “pollutant” subject to EPA oversight.
SEMA is disputing claims that vehicle scrappage programs will clean the air or reduce the nation’s dependency on foreign oil. SEMA contends that these misdirected programs do more environmental harm than good, and deny cash incentives to millions of Americans who want to buy a new car.
The scrappage debate was recently revived when President Obama endorsed scrappage as part of an overall strategy to help rebuild the U.S. auto industry.