Issues
A bill making its way through the California Legislature would require autonomous vehicles (AV) weighing over 10,001 pounds to have a licensed human driver on board while on California roads. This requirement would stay in place until at least 2031. Assembly Bill (AB) 316 passed on the Assembly floor 69-4. It then passed the State…
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee approved two pieces of legislation that would derail a significant component of the Biden Administration’s goals of reducing auto emissions by boosting electric vehicles (EV). H.R. 1435, The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, sponsored by Rep. Joyce (R-PA), would ban the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state…
Earlier today, the US Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee voted to advance a bill that would require all new vehicles to be manufactured with AM radio as a standard feature. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 (S. 1669) passed the committee by a nearly unanimous vote, with only one objection. The…
The ASA Board of Directors has approved the following policy position statement on OEM Repair Procedures: Insurers Should Account for OEM Repair Procedure Research in Estimates ASA supports the research, application, and documentation of OEM repair procedures before, during, and after completing a repair. OEMs develop, test, and verify repair procedures to restore the safety…
The Automotive Service Association, the Society of Collision Repair Specialists and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation – the trade group for automakers who manufacture 98% of all cars sold in the United States – have reached a landmark agreement that will add additional safeguards on automotive right-to-repair. This agreement ensures that independent repair shops will…
The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against Kole Consulting Group and its owner Daniel Kole. The FTC charged Kole and his company in February 2022 with running a telemarketing scam that pitched, what they called, their American Vehicle Protection program. Hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide received calls to solicit…
H.R. 3413, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023, has quickly gained support since it was introduced in May of this year. It currently has 49 Democratic co-sponsors and 59 Republican co-sponsors, totaling 108 co-sponsors. Its companion in the Senate, S. 1669, has 9 Democratic cosponsors and 10 Republican cosponsors. Sponsored by Congressman…
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) released a statement urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reevaluate its guidance to automakers on compliance with Massachusetts’ right-to-repair law that went into effect on June 1, 2023. Last week, NHTSA sent a letter to OEMs instructing them not to comply with Massachusetts’…
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs heard testimony earlier today from Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation (OAR). Members of the Republican majority expressed concerns with the EPA’s proposed regulations that would place more stringent limitations…
A new law signed by Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) tasks Vermont’s Commissioner of Financial Regulation with investigating and making recommendations on hourly labor rates for auto body work. The legislation’s (S.95) sponsor, State Senator Ann Cummings (D), noted, “what the insurance company covers and what the actual costs are are getting farther and farther…