Images: SEMA Photos

They say April showers will bring May flowers, but in our industry, it’s all the hard work done by the SEMA Action Network (SAN) fighting unfair legislation in the automotive world that brings continued growth. The end of March and the beginning of April has shaped up to be a particularly busy few weeks for SAN, and as always, we want to recognize their efforts, show our support for the hobby and give you the information you need to stand with the industry’s leaders to fights unjust legislative efforts!

Let’s get the bad out of the way first: In Illinois, hobbyists could be facing more fees and taxes with the use of their vehicles if a recently introduced bill passes. This bill aims to increase not only vehicle registration fees but also the state’s gas tax and impose a road usage fee based on every mile driven. There’s no doubt about it– no one who drives any type of vehicle, historic or not, would feel the penalty of this latest legislative push if signed into law.

In California, legislators introduced and managed to push a bill through the Committee that aims to expand the state’s vehicle retirement program. We all know about the “cash for clunkers” trend that swept through the States a few years back and this bill introduced in California aims to essentially expand on that, widening the perimeters for the retirement of older passenger vehicles. If passed, not only will this affect low-income families that may only be able to afford an older vehicle, but would also put a major dent in the ability for enthusiasts to obtain rare and historic components for their vehicles or classic car projects.

Even more concerning than state-based anti-hobbiest bills, hobbiests face discouraging circumstances on the federal level as the EPA continues to discuss a national program that would outlaw converting vehicles designed initially for road use into race vehicles. While thousands of industry personnel and enthusiasts expressed their disagreement with the proposed bill through a petition with over 170,000 signatures attached sent to the White House earlier this year, and many state legislatures (including Ohio, which just introduced a resolution to oppose the bill) have made moves to discourage the consideration of the bill, the EPA is still reviewing the proposed program, according to a recent response SAN received from the White House on the matter. In response, the U.S. Congress has introduced the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act – fittingly), which if passed, would guarantee the ability for the continuation of the century-long practice of creating race cars out of street cars. (Want to show your support of the RPM Act? Follow this LINK to make your opposition known!)

Moving on to the lighter fare, several advances have been made for the industry in a number of states when it comes to industry-supportive legislature, including New Hampshire where a bill expanding the parameters for antique trailers that qualify for specialty plates has been sent to the governor; New Jersey, where a bill aiming to expand the use of historic vehicles in the state has been introduced; and Missouri, where a bill allowing for the permanent registration of historic trailers and fifth-wheels has been approved by the House and now moves to the Senate.

Other states that have shown encouraging progress with hobbiest-friendly legislation include Utah, where a resolution to urge the restoration of the Bonneville Salt Flats we told you about last month has been approved by the governor; West Virginia, where a bill aiming to allow for additional race events to be held in the state, which we also told you about last month, was recently signed into law; and Alabama, where a bill pushing for the exemption of a Certificate of Title for historic vehicles is now moving to the Senate for approval. In Connecticut, a bill pushing to issue new titles for historic vehicles has been approved and now moves to the House for further consideration. In Maryland, a bill aiming to revise requirements for the registration of historic vehicles has moved to the governor. If approved, the bill would do away with the requirement for periodic inspections, but would limit the use of historic vehicles for commercial purposes, employment, and transportation to employment or school.

Emission exemptions are a popular topic right now as both New Hampshire and California are considering bills that would exempt historically significant vehicles from emission standards in the case of New Hampshire and exempt pre-1981 model vehicles from emission standards in the case of California. New Hampshire is a little bit further ahead than California in the consideration process as the bill there has been approved and moved to the governor for additional approval. California legislators are also considering a bill this month that would allow classic vehicle owners to run year of manufacture plates on their historic cars. Unfortunately, a bill looking for similar consideration in West Virginia was just vetoed by the governor after having been approved by both the state House and Senate.

Similarly, a bill in Idaho looking to allow for the use of single plates on vehicles not originally equipped with two license plate brackets died as legislation in the state adjourned. West Virginia legislature has also adjourned, killing any bills still in the approval process.

As the show and race seasons continue to rev up, we’re getting closer and closer to the official National Collector Car Appreciation Day, which SEMA has designated as Friday, July 8th this year. Several cities, states and provinces have already declared their recognition of the celebration while more continue to acknowledge the special occasion. Just this last month, both the provinces of Nova Scotia and British Columbia have made statements of recognition for the day, with British Columbia declaring their Collector Car Appreciation Day as Saturday, July 9th, and Nova Scotia going a step further and declaring the whole month of July Automotive Heritage Month. This year’s Collector Car Appreciation Day looks to be shaping up to be the best and most popular one yet.

Legislative action takes place every day, whether we’re watching or not. Luckily, the SEMA Action Network has taken the charge of watching state and federal legislatures closely and fighting against anti-hobbiest actions. That, however, does not mean we can just sit back and watch.

This is your call to action! Make sure you know what’s going on for or against your hobby, whether it’s as small as on the city level or as big as on the national level, and speak up about the hobby you are passionate about!

You can join the SEMA Action Network in taking action by subscribing to their legislative updates, adding your name to lists for or against certain legislative actions and even find resources to send letters to your state and national lawmakers all on the SEMA Action website HERE! Now go out there and keep up the good fight!