Posted 7/9/2009
By Clarence Mills

Nevada Governor Signs Salvaged Vehicles Act

The Automotive Service Association (ASA) had urged Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons to veto Nevada Senate Bill 360, the Salvaged Vehicles Act, because it is anti-consumer and not in the best interests of the collision repair industry.

The Salvaged Vehicles Act revises provisions governing the sale and title of salvage vehicles. Specifically, this bill authorizes persons other than licensed automotive professionals to purchase vehicles from salvage pools.

The bill raises significant issues, such as: It will allow potentially unsafe vehicles on Nevada's High_ways; untrained, ill-equipped and unregulated individuals would be able to purchase these vehicles and attempt to repair or dismantle them; unregulated purchases of these vehicles will threaten the environment with the handling of hazardous materials; and it will encourage automotive theft via VIN switching.

House Judiciary Reviews Bankruptcy Impact

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held a hearing to review "Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies." Witnesses focused on the impact of the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies on new car dealerships, employees and consumers.

A major concern discussed at the hearing was the closing of dealerships and its effect on consumers. For example, due to these bankruptcies, customers are already anxious about their warranties being protected. Consumers now fear that it will be their local dealership that closes, and thus will be unable to get convenient warranty work on their car.

Though many significant issues were discussed, the Judiciary Committee does not have legislation scheduled for committee action that will address the issues presented at the hearing.

ASA Briefs Capitol Hill on Right to Repair

Donny Seyfer, ASA board member from Wheat Ridge, Colo., conducted educational briefings in the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate last month.

Seyfer emphasized that automakers are committed to providing independent repairers with access to the same service and repair information, tools and training as provided to franchise dealers.

He also highlighted that automakers support their customers' right to choose to have their vehicle serviced and repaired either at an independent repair facility or a dealership. In fact, there is no evidence that demonstrates consumers do not have a choice in vehicle repair.

Seyfer stressed that this legislation is not narrowly focused on service information and could potentially lead to the theft of intellectual property and other security nightmares and that it does not address issues confronting independent technicians who want to properly diagnose and repair today's complex vehicles.

Bill OKs Preemption of State Climate Programs

To the dismay of many state officials, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce has approved H.R. 2454, "The American Clean Energy and Security Act" by a vote of 33 to 25.

H.R. 2454 is comprehensive energy legislation designed to deploy clean energy resources, increase energy efficiency, cut global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy.

This proposal would prohibit states from implementing their own greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs between 2012 and 2017.

States, such as California, oppose this provision of H.R. 2454 because they believe that states or regions should be able to have a more stringent cap-and-trade program than the federal program, if they so choose.