Taking The Hill

by Christy Plunkett Foertsch

ASA Representatives Testify at U.S. House Subcommittee Hearing

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protections held a hearing on H.R. 2735 - the Motor Vehicle Owner's Right to Repair Act - at the end of the legislative session for 2004.

Bill Haas, AAM, ASA's vice president of service repair markets, and ASA-Colorado member Donny Seyfer testified at the hearing. Haas gave a presentation to the subcommittee on the automaker Web sites and demonstrated how an independent technician can retrieve information. Seyfer testified as a shop owner about his experience with information availability. He said the agreement between the automakers and ASA was working and that the legislation was not needed at this time.

Be sure to visit www.TakingTheHill.com to read more information about the hearing and the agreement between ASA and the automakers. Also, please see Robert L. Redding's article.

Paint Industry Opponents Seek Repeal of Data Quality Act

Supporters of environmental regulation are citing a recent data quality challenge by the paint industry that urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject state ozone plans in their argument that the federal law allowing such challenges should be repealed. The Center for Progressive Regulation (CPR) argued in a letter to the EPA that the industry challenge demonstrates how the Information Quality Act (IQA) can be used to delay regulations intended to protect public health.

The data quality act was signed into law in 2000, allowing private parties to petition federal agencies to correct inaccurate data being used for rulemaking purposes. Critics are concerned that industry groups could submit a flood of requests to slow down the regulatory process.

Overtime Regulations Go into Effect

The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) overtime regulations went into effect in August. The new rules impact workers earning less than $23,660 per year or $455 per week. The DOL estimates that this new regulation will strengthen overtime rights for 6.7 million workers.

In April, the DOL issued its final regulations for the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), implementing the exemptions of overtime pay of executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and computer employees, otherwise considered "white collar" workers. The DOL has established a Web site (http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/fairpay/main.htm) for businesses and consumers to reference the new rules.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed by a vote of 223-193 an amendment to the fiscal 2005 appropriations bill blocking the new rules. The amendment will prohibit the DOL from spending any money to enforce the new rule. The legislation has to be signed by President George W. Bush. Call (800) 272-7467, ext. 295, for more information.

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