Currents bills, pending legislation affecting the automotive hobby

National Dragster, Mar 18, 2005

As part of its legislative program, SEMA monitors state and federal legislation that affects the automotive hobby. When appropriate, the association notifies members of the SEMA Action Network (SAN), a grassroots lobbying group that includes thousands of enthusiasts throughout the country. Projects currently in the works and of concern to SEMA and SAN are noted on these two pages.

Arizona, emissions exemption: SAN-supported legislation to exempt qualified collectible vehicles 15 years old and older from the state's mandatory emissions inspection and maintenance program passed unanimously in the Arizona House of Representatives. H.B. 2357 defines collectible vehicles as 15 years old or older or of unique or rare design, of limited production and an object of curiosity, and maintained primarily for car-club activities, exhibitions, parades, and the like and used infrequently for other purposes. Qualifying vehicles would have to maintain appropriate collectible or classic automobile insurance to retain these benefits. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.

Illinois, inoperable collector vehicles: H.B. 25 has been reintroduced in Illinois, legislation that would further restrict the ability of Illinois vehicle hobbyists from maintaining inoperable vehicles on private property. The SAN-opposed legislation removes historic vehicles over 25 years in age from a list of vehicles exempt from county inoperable vehicle ordinances if they are not kept within a building. Under current law, a county board may declare all inoperable vehicles a nuisance and order their disposal. This bill, if enacted, would subject ungaraged historic hobby cars to disposal and possible fines and would give local authorities an inordinate amount of power in determining the disposition of historic project cars. The measure would make it virtually impossible for Illinois hobbyists to maintain inoperable collector vehicles on private property.

Maine, nitrous oxide: SAN-supported H.B. 67 would further expand permissible highway use of vehicles equipped with nitrous-oxide systems to include those en route to a car show, off-highway competition, or fill station. In 2003, working with the Maine Custom Auto Association, SAN helped amend Maine legislation that originally threatened to prohibit the operation of vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide or other "power booster systems" (e.g., superchargers) on public roads.

Montana, vehicle fenders: Working with enthusiasts in Montana, SAN persuaded lawmakers to table H.B. 323, which would have required the use of fenders, splash aprons, or mud flaps on vehicles. The bill included vehicles for which these items were not even required when the vehicle was manufactured. While current law in Montana exempts street rods, H.B. 323 would prohibit some specialty vehicles, including replicas and kit cars, from maintaining the same look as the original production vehicle.

New Hampshire, racetrack study: SAN-opposed legislation that sought to establish a commission to study the noise and hours of operations of motor-vehicle racetracks was set aside by a New Hampshire legislative committee. Generally, these bills represent an attempt by a small group of residents to silence racing without regard to the many racing enthusiasts in the state. These measures impose a statewide, one-size-fits-all approach to racetrack control while ignoring the significant economic and recreational benefits these facilities provide and create serious difficulties in completing race events. Area businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, also suffer from decreased turnout.

New Jersey, exhaust noise: A.B. 3738 requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to prescribe a decibel limit to which all aftermarket mufflers sold in the state would have to be certified to operate, but it provides no instruction as to what the decibel limit should be. SAN members in New Jersey were urged to contact their elected officials to amend the measure to include provisions from a SEMA-model bill that would provide for the testing of vehicle exhaust noise to a standard adopted by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) with an established noise limit of 95 decibels (SAE J1169). To date, the model bill has been enacted in California, Maine, and Washington.

For a comprehensive list of bills affecting the automotive hobby as well as current updates to those listed above, log on to www.semasan.com or contact Jason Tolleson at jasont@sema.org or (202) 783-6007, ext. 39.