Taking The Hill by Stephen B. McDonald, ASA Government Affairs Consultant OBD Inspection Regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final regulation establishing the minimum requirements for inspecting vehicles equipped with on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems as part of the inspections required in state inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs. OBD testing of all 1996 and newer model vehicles will be required in all I/M programs beginning Jan. 1, 1998. Failure of the OBD test will not result in mandatory repair until Jan. 1, 2000. During this two-year test period, the EPA, in cooperation with states and motor vehicle manufacturers, hopes to gather data on the effectiveness of OBD. The agency believes that there will be no lost emission reductions as a result of the study period because most vehicles will still have to undergo tailpipe emission and evaporative tests.Salvage Vehicle Titling Bill
Legislation to establish nationally uniform requirements regarding the titling and registration of salvage, non-repairable and rebuilt motor vehicles was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). The bill is a companion to a measure introduced last February in the House of Representatives by Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.). The bill attempts to codify many of the recommendations forwarded by the Motor Vehicle Titling, Registration and Salvage Advisory Committee convened pursuant to the Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992. Like the House bill, the "National Motor Vehicle Safety, Anti-Theft, Title Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 1996" retains the 75 percent of fair market value threshold for the declaration of a salvage vehicle.Health Insurance Coverage
President Clinton signed into law legislation allowing workers to maintain continuous health insurance coverage when they change or lose their job. In addition, insurance companies would be limited from denying policies because of pre-existing conditions. The measure also begins a pilot program for medical savings accounts by which persons with high-deductible health insurance plans could accrue tax deductible savings to use for medical expenses. The program would allow no more than 750,000 of these policies to be issued and they would be available only to workers in businesses with 50 or fewer employees, the self-employed and the uninsured. The new law increases the deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed to 80 percent over 10 years.Mobile Air Conditioning Retrofit
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has invited the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and other mobile air conditioning stakeholders to contribute to a public education campaign designed to promote ozone-safe refrigerants. Specifically, the campaign will include a user-friendly brochure to help consumers decide which alternative refrigerant, approved and listed by the EPA, is the best refrigerant for their vehicle. The brochure will also give consumers practical advice on retrofitting vehicle air conditioning systems to accept these new refrigerants. The EPA banned production of CFC-12, the refrigerant used in vehicles built before 1992, as part of the Clean Air Act.ASA Main Page || AutoInc. Main Page
Regulatory Compliance -- Turn A Pain Into A Gain
Low-budget Marketing Ideas For Big-dollar Results || How To Handle Low VOC Paints
Mechanical Shops Are Going Green || Election Year Impact On The Aftermarket
Guest Editorial -- Control At Point-of-sale Is Not About Leveling The Playing Field
Tech To Tech || TechTips || Stat Corner || News Briefs || News Briefs Extra || Taking The Hill || Directions || Around ASA || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 10, October 1996