Taking The Hill
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life"
-Confucius
Air Quality
President Clinton announced his endorsement of the new clean air regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The administration did soften the impact of the rules on big cities and industry through an implementation process that attempts to accommodate their concerns and other programs to offset the economic effects. The EPA standards for particulate matter would be delayed five years to allow completion of a nationwide monitoring network and cities would have at least another two years to devise a strategy for reducing air pollution. The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently approved a resolution opposing the EPA's proposal, arguing that the economic consequences of adopting stricter air standards for smog-producing ozone and particulate matter would impose great hardships on their cities. Meanwhile, Rep. Klink (D-Pa.) has introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide for a four-year moratorium on the establishment of new clean air standards, pending further implementation of the clean air amendments of 1990, additional review and air quality monitoring.
Salvage Vehicle Titling
The House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade and Consumer Protection held a hearing on legislation that would establish nationally uniform requirements for the titling and registration of salvage, non-repairable and rebuilt motor vehicles. The bill defines a salvage vehicle as one that has been damaged, destroyed or wrecked up to 80 percent of its pre-accident value. In addition, the measure expands the number of vehicles covered under the definition to those that are up to seven model years old at the time of the accident or have a retail value greater than $10,000. The bill does not currently require post-repair safety inspections, but a Congressional Budget Office study will be undertaken to determine whether requiring inspections would violate statutes governing unfunded federal mandates. Similar legislation has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate.
Vocational Education
The House Education and the Workforce Committee approved a bill that authorizes $1.3 billion for vocational and technical education training programs in fiscal year 1998. The subcommittee also voted to change the funding formula for allocating the grant money to the states, giving more weight to population and less to poverty rates. Fifty percent of the money would be allotted based on the population between ages 15 and 19 and 50 percent based on the population between ages 20 and 24. The bill would also require states to pass on 90 percent of their allocations to localities while states would retain 8 percent, with 2 percent going to administrative costs.
Taxes
The U.S. Senate followed the House of Representatives in passing its version of tax cut legislation. The House bill contains $85 billion in net tax relief, while the Senate measure contains only $77 billion. Both the House and Senate bills gradually increase the value of an estate exempt from taxation from $600,000 to $1 million over about nine years. The Senate bill would give family-owned businesses a $1 million exemption starting in 1998. Both bills would reduce the top individual capital gains rate from the current 28 percent to 20 percent. The House bill indexes those gains for inflation, while the Senate bill does not. The Senate bill also expands tax-deferred IRAs by raising the income limits on taxpayers eligible to use them.
Refrigerants
The EPA has fined Central Telephone Company, known as Sprint, $21,600 for using an unacceptable refrigerant, HC-12a, as a replacement for CFC-12 in the air conditioning units in its vehicle fleet in Las Vegas. The EPA also ordered All Star Rebuilders, a truck and bus fleet service shop in Fresno, Calif., to cease using HC-12a as a replacement in truck and bus air conditioning systems and truck refrigeration equipment. The EPA banned HC-12a as a replacement for CFC-12 in June 1995.
ASA Hosts Replacement Parts Summit || Service Solutions For Anti-lock Brake Systems ||
Paint Warranties: Providing Customers With A Sure Thing || Scouting For Employees ||
Continuation And Succession In A Family Business ||
Guest Editorial: Vocational Education Is A Necessity || Tech Tips || News Briefs ||
Taking the Hill || Around ASA || Shop Profile || Net Worth || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLV No. 8, August 1997