Contact:	Caroline Holland (202) 543-1440 c.holland@att.net
For Release:	Immediate News Bulletin PR-32 May 23, 2008

Coalition Calls for Database of Salvaged Automobiles

ASA Joins Industry Groups in Letter to Department of Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 23, 2008 - The Automotive Service Association (ASA), along with a coalition of various industry groups, has urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to finalize rulemaking that would prevent rebuilt, wrecked, flooded or stolen vehicles from unknowingly landing in consumer’s hands.

In 1992, Congress passed legislation that created the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). This national system electronically links state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) to force insurers and salvage yards to report the vehicle identification numbers (VIN) of junk and salvage vehicles. Congress failed to meet the January 1998 deadline of implementing this national database. Therefore, a coalition of consumer protection, law enforcement and automotive industry representatives sent a letter to the DOJ May 20 urging them to make this rulemaking a priority. Furthermore, the letter calls for the department to make the data from the NMVTIS readily available to the public before the rulemaking process is complete.

ASA served as a member of the National Stolen Auto Part Information System Federal Advisory Committee at the U.S. Department of Justice.

To view the letter sent by ASA and other industry groups, visit ASA’s legislative Web site, www.TakingTheHill.com. The draft can be found in the “Press Center” under “References and Bills.”

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry. ASA's headquarters is in Bedford, Texas.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.ASAshop.org, or visit ASA's legislative Web site at www.TakingTheHill.com.

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