Images: SEMA

With summer reaching its hottest of days, the legislative heat rages on for the Specialty Equipment Market Association. Now, as multiple legislatures adjourn for the year, the organization is fighting its hardest to get the hot rod world looking good for the next governmental year. Check out this month’s updates below, compliments of the SEMA Law & Order update!

First and foremost, we’d like to remind everyone that this Friday, July 11th is the official Collector Car Appreciation Day for 2014. Founded by SEMA and recognized by local, state, and federal governments, this year’s collector car holiday should be the best one yet. Be sure to check out the SEMA Action Network’s site for up-to-date information for events going on in your area to celebrate.

Going along with that, Louisiana has joined hot rod enthusiasts all across the country by recognizing this coming Friday as Collector Car Appreciation Day, but that’s not all. In an effort to support the hot rod scene, Louisiana government has proclaimed the second weekend of July in future years Louisiana Collector Car Appreciation Weekend!

Speaking of collector cars, some state legislatures have put off considering bills that could affect the classic car hobby until at least next year, if at all. In Alabama, a bill aiming to allow collector car owners to maintain a permanent vintage tag on their vehicle while continuing to pay regular registration fees and taxes was not considered before the state’s legislature adjourned for the year. In Kentucky, a bill died that aimed to change the valuation process for vehicles for property tax purposes. If passed, this bill would have lowered the taxes paid on classic vehicles.

In Wisconsin, a bill aiming to require just one license plate be displayed on the rear of vehicles died when legislation there adjourned.

Similarly, an Arizona bill aiming to put the previously-signed law regarding emissions exemptions for vehicles 40 years or older into effect was also dropped for the year when the legislature in that state also adjourned.

In a case of a bill being dropped for the year for the better, Kansas legislature did not consider a SEMA-opposed bill that aimed to give counties the ability to remove vehicles from private property that was considered a nuisance. A similarly-destructive bill, which would have potentially changed the color requirements for headlamps, died in Nebraska when legislators left for the year.

While a good chunk of the state-level legislatures have already adjourned for the year, a few are still pushing bills through, like the one in New Hampshire, which is currently considering a bill that aims to allow more vehicles to be allowed to use year-of-manufacture plates. Having been approved by the Senate Transportation Committee and the full House, the bill, which would allow vehicles from 1975 or earlier to display a year-of-manufacture tag, moves to the full Senate floor to be considered.

A similar bill, which would allow the state to produce replica year-of-manufacture plates for antique vehicles has been introduced in Rhode Island. If passed, the bill would also allow the state to approve the use of classic year-of-manufacture plates on certain vehicles.

In New York, a bill has been introduced that, if passed, would allow classic car owners to display a single license plate on the rear of their vehicle for an annual fee of $50. This would prevent collector and antique vehicle owners from having to come up with a potentially damaging way to display a front tag on their vehicles.

With legislatures adjourning, a number of bills have recently been signed into law or are moving to governors’ desks to be signed into law, including a Wisconsin bill allowing owners of vehicles produced before 1979 to display one or two historic plates on their vehicles, a Minnesota bill which provides a program that will allow the value of classic cars to be determined by national standards, and a Nebraska bill that allows historic automobile museums to purchase collector vehicles and items without having to pay use or sales taxes on them.

In Colorado, legislation that repeals the six-year limitation for giving a motor vehicle the brand of a salvage vehicle if the cost to fix it exceeds its actual value was signed into law. Fortunately, a SEMA-approved amendment was put into the bill that protects all collector cars, street rods, and horseless carriages from this salvage branding.

In Ohio, a SEMA-amended bill defining the color limits of headlamps was signed into law. Thanks to the SEMA-supported amendment, these limits are in compliance with federal standards that allow headlamps with a blue tint to be run as long as they fit within a certain “white light” spectrum.

With more and more legislatures adjourning for the year, we’re sure to see more and more bills aiming to affect the hot rod industry one way or the other dying before they are considered. Luckily, some of the important bills that are still being considered, could be signed into law soon thanks to adjourning legislators.

Be sure to check back next month for SEMA’s Law & Order update as summer rages on! And be sure to sign up with the SEMA Action Network for weekly legislation updates.