How SEMA Represents Members as a Government Watchdog
The laws and regulations that govern how SEMA members do business have a growing impact on the way automotive specialty equipment is made, distributed and marketed. SEMA has been a strong industry advocate on legislative and regulatory policies since its founding in 1963. SEMA continues to pursue federal, state and local laws that are limited, reasonable and, ultimately, help our members’ businesses succeed and prosper.
SEMA places a wealth of legislative/regulatory information at members’ fingertips to help their businesses succeed. All of the material can be accessed through the “government affairs” page on the SEMA website at www.SEMA.org. The legislative and regulatory materials are also posted on the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website (www.SEMAsan.com) as a way to involve member-company customers, the enthusiast community.
SEMA maintains an experienced government affairs staff in Washington, D.C., to further the priority policies of the SEMA membership. Whether it is protecting a niche marketplace from an unnecessary regulatory burden or expanding sales opportunities through proactive legislation, the government affairs team is dedicated to helping members succeed and prosper.
SEMA Action Network Unites Hobbyists/Industry to Protect Automotive Rights
The SEMA Action Network (SAN) represents the united voice of “car guys and gals.” This group is a nationwide partnership between enthusiasts, vehicle clubs and members of the automotive specialty-equipment industry who have joined forces to promote hobby-friendly legislation and oppose unfair legislation. With more than 61,000 members from all 50 states and Canada, the SAN is the premier organization defending the rights of vehicle enthusiasts—the same enthusiasts who comprise the U.S. and Canadian customers who drive industry sales. The SAN has a proven record for achieving legislative successes on issues that directly affect all aspects of the automotive hobby, including the ability to purchase, install and operate vehicles with aftermarket parts.
SEMA’s government affairs and technical staff has a healthy agenda of regulatory issues that relate to and have impact upon the automotive specialty-equipment industry. Virtually every day, issues are addressed that can affect the short- and long-term interests of SEMA members and their customers. The following are some current and representative examples of challenges being routinely addressed.
Did you know that some lawmakers are big fans of collector cars, vehicle exhibitions and auto racing? Many of these U.S. representatives and senators have joined the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus. Likewise, state lawmakers have joined the companion State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus.
Priority Issues: State
Accelerated Vehicle Scrappage: SEMA opposes scrappage proposals. Where proposals can’t be defeated, SEMA seeks to amend them to protect collector vehicles, focus on gross polluters, use measured emissions values, allow parts recycling and include repair/upgrade alternatives. Scrappage programs accelerate natural vehicle retirement by allowing for the purchase of older cars, which are then typically crushed into blocks of scrap metal.
Our primary mission here at SEMA is simple: to help our member businesses succeed and prosper. One of the most important ways we do that is through legislative and regulatory advocacy. In a nutshell, it’s our goal to make your voices heard.
To that end, SEMA supports a dedicated and highly active team of government affairs experts on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. They’re focused on identifying and affecting issues that make a difference to your business.
Let’s be honest. Politics is something we all love to hate. However, over time and based on experiences with government on the local, state and federal levels, I have become educated to the fact that relationships built with government officials are vital to our industry’s continued existence.
More than 70 SEMA members met with their U.S. representatives and senators as part of the Washington Rally, providing a valuable opportunity to urge members of Congress to pursue a pro-growth manufacturing and job-creation agenda. Specific topics included support for the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act, which would create a separate system for regulating companies that produce limited quantities of specialty cars, and the ongoing need to address spiraling health care costs. Other issues of concern included support for comprehensive tax reform, ensuring small-business access to capital, preventing the sale of E15 ethanol and protecting reasonable access to federal lands for the off-road community.