SEMA Continues to Step Up for The Automotive Hobby As Summer Ends

Images: The SEMA Action Network on Facebook

The fall show season is amping up to have a great start and the Specialty Equipment Market Association is only adding to the excitement as they continue to fight for legislative fairness within the hot rod hobby. Check out this month’s Law & Order updates below!

On a State Level

The first update for September comes out of Delaware, where a pro-hobbiest bill was recently signed into law, making it easier for “reconstructed vehicles” to be legal road-going means of transportation. Because of the law, signed by Governor Jack Mackell, all reconstructed vehicles (defined as vehicles constructed mostly of components that have been sourced from various other car makes and models or had essential parts added/removed to materially alter the vehicle) in the state that are more than 25 years old are exempt from emissions testing. Per the new law, even those vehicles that are now exempt from emissions must continue to meet or exceed safety requirements for its given year.

In New Hampshire, more classic car owners will soon be able to run year-of-manufacture plates thanks to a bill sent to be signed into law by the governor. Now rather than having to be of a 1960 model year or before to be eligible for year-of-manufacture tags, vehicles can be from as recent as 1975. A similar bill is being signed into law in Rhode Island by Governor Lincoln Chafee, which authorizes the DMV to issue year-of-manufacture plates to any vehicle 25 years old or older.

Bills that would have similarly benefited hot rod hobbiest died in Illinois and New York died when legislators in both states adjourned for the year. These bills included a proposition to require only rear license plates on antique vehicles in both states, as well as the issuance of a one-time registration fee, antique license plates for display purposes and emission exemptions for classic cars in New York.

One bill that died when legislators adjourned in South Carolina that is benefiting the automotive hobby currently is a bill that ultimately aimed to increase annual registration fees for private vehicles owned by individuals younger than 65 years old.

Nationwide

On a national level, hot rod hobbiests are finding hope in a recent project that proved that the surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats can be supplemented with and possibly restored with the deposit of dry salt in the area. The project was headed by the Save the Salt Coalition, which has worked hand-in-hand with SEMA and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as the Southern California Timing Association to try to find ways to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats.

With about 2,000 tons of salt added to the end of the access road to the Bonneville Salt Flats, which was then graded and dried to match the surrounding area, the Save the Salt Coalition is looking at future salt deposits as a viable way to continue the restoration of targeted areas within the historic grounds. The salt was deposited by Shelton Construction.

A Final Note

While the official Collector Car Appreciation Day for 2014 has come and gone, SEMA would still like to recognize those states and areas that went above and beyond this year to acknowledge the special day. These areas include California, New Mexico, Manitoba, Louisiana, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. In addition to individual states/areas that formally recognized July 11^th as the official 2014 Collector Car Appreciation Day, the U.S. Senate also recognized the special occasion as a whole by passing Resolution 493. With so much support for the annual car holiday, we can’t wait to see who else jumps on board for next year’s nationwide celebration.

Congratulations goes out to the hot rod community for their recent legislative successes, with major thanks going to SEMA and the SEMA Action Network for leading the fight for legislative propriety.