SEMA Successfully Mobilizes the Automotive SPECIALTY-EQUIPMENT Industry’s First-Ever SuperPAC

BY KAREN BAILEY-CHAPMAN

 

For decades, recreationists and off-roaders have been able to enjoy riding all types of motorized vehicles from trucks and SUVs to dune buggies and quads on a California beach. That thrill will soon vanish if the California Coastal Commission has its way. The Commission issued a plan to abolish off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to California’s Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) by 2024. SEMA is challenging the Commission’s extreme plan in California Superior Court for San Luis Obispo County. SEMA’s joint lawsuit with Ecologic Partners—a legal collaboration between the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), American Sand Association, and American Motorcyclist Association District 37—is scheduled for a June 15, 2023 hearing and will be a key moment in the fight to protect motorized recreational access around the country.

What’s the secret to impacting policy in Washington? The answer is easy—get to know your lawmakers by inviting them to tour your business and meet your employees. Hosting your elected officials gives them a chance to learn about your business and see firsthand the products you produce and sell. HP Tuners in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, understands this principle, recently hosting U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) for a tour, Q&A session with its employees, and a private meeting with HP Tuners’ executive management team.

Like most NASCAR drivers, Petty competed in race cars that started out as street-legal vehicles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains the position that such modified race vehicles are not legal under the Clean Air Act, threatening many classes of racing along with an industry that employs tens of thousands of Americans and contributes more than $2 billion to the U.S. economy each year.

When the average person thinks of racing, they usually picture an oval track or a dragstrip. While it’s true that these two types of racetracks dominate the hobby, motorsports today encompasses so much more. From off-road racing to land-speed racing, rock crawling, drifting and even donk racing (big-wheel vehicles), it’s clear that motorsports today is a big tent with something for everyone.

Are you concerned that politicians make decisions that impact your business, yet they do not understand what it is like to work in the private sector? If so, I have a feeling you will enjoy getting to know U.S. Representative Greg Pence (R-IN), who started working at a local service station in high school and enjoyed a successful career in oil and convenience store businesses before running for office in 2018. With a seat in his home congressional district open, Rep. Pence decided that it was time to join his brother, Vice President Mike Pence, to help our federal government chart a better path in Washington, D.C.

More than 700 lawmakers comprise SEMA’s State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus, a bipartisan group of state legislators who share a passion for all things automotive. When you have that many allies in your corner, deciding upon whom to bestow the Stephen B. McDonald Lawmaker of the Year award is no small task. However, there was never any doubt when it came to 2021’s winner.

What happens when you send a former fighter pilot to Washington? While it may be premature for the citizens of Texas’ 6th Congressional District to answer that question, they have every reason to be optimistic about U.S. Representative Jake Ellzey (R-TX) who won a July 2021 special election to represent them in Congress.

What does a company do when its member of Congress is already an ally of the industry? That’s easy. Invite him or her to your business! While U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) is a fierce defender of motorsports parts businesses and a longtime SEMA ally, a recent visit to Edelbrock provided the Congressman with a chance to see another side of the industry beyond racing.

SEMA members once again joined with car clubs, automotive businesses and enthusiasts nationwide to celebrate the 12th annual Collector Car Appreciation Day (CCAD) on July 9, 2021. A wide range of events was held across America to commemorate the special day. The celebration was designated with SEMA-requested companion resolutions introduced in the U.S. Congress by the co-chairs of the SEMA-supported Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus. U.S. Senate Resolution 292 (S. Res. 292) was sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), while Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) sponsored U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 491 (H. Res. 491).