It should come as no surprise that new proposals threatening cars and trucks can be of significant concern to automotive enthusiasts, who face the task of customizing and preserving classic cars while staying within evolving legal limits. History has shown that even well-intended bills can have a detrimental effect on the automotive community—but it’s also true that focused constituent awareness can often make a difference.

For most of the country’s automotive enthusiasts, drilling holes into the front bumper of a prized possession is both a sad and unavoidable occurrence. To them, the legal mandate to equip a license plate on their front bumper is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

While there are more than a few automotive enthusiasts in Congress, the zeal of U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) for the hobby and collection of classic vehicles puts him in a class by himself. LaMalfa started wrenching on cars during his formative years, and his passion for buying and personalizing vehicles continued to grow during the following decades.