Auto Care Weekly State Government Affairs Update: Mar. 23, 2023

What's Moving

• Florida SB 422, a right to repair bill for agricultural equipment - Was heard in the Agriculture Committee and given a favorable report out. The bill is now in the Commerce and Tourism Committee. The Auto Care Association has submitted an amendment request to each committee.
• Vermont H 81, a bill on right to repair for agricultural equipment - Is being heard by the House Agriculture Committee this week, with deliberations ongoing for 5 days.
• Colorado HB 23-1011, a right to repair bill for farm vehicles - Has been amended and passed both the House and Senate. The Senate is now considering the bill with added amendments.
• New Jersey A 4784, requires manufacturers to stamp VIN on catalytic converters sold in the state - Has been reported out of the Assembly Health Committee with amendments.
• Texas HB 4424, would create exemptions for obtaining a title requirement on certain vehicles - Has been introduced and referred to the Transportation Committee this week.
• Oklahoma HB 2244, would authorize that dealer management system providers provide certain actions and prevents them from taking certain actions -  Passed the House on a 95 – 0 vote and has been sent to the Senate.
• Idaho H 142, would amend the current law to change penalties for catalytic converter theft - Has passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee.
• Texas SB 432, would increase the penalty for catalytic converter theft - Has been heard in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee but was left pending without votes.
• California SB 244, a right to repair act for electronics and appliances - Has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and will be heard on April 11.
• Kansas HB 2326, would extend the sunset date on scrap metal theft reduction and add catalytic converters to the act - The bill has gotten a favorable Committee report out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Arkansas HB 1365, would amend current law to create offenses for catalytic converter theft - Has been signed into law by the Governor.
• Rhode Island HB 5731, which puts restrictions on insurers regarding used parts - Was supposed to be heard on the 17th, but the bill is being put on hold for further study.

All states are in session, except for Utah, Wyoming, Louisiana, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Virginia. 

The New Mexico legislature adjourned for the year last week, with a tax package providing residents with $500 rebate checks. In addition, the package included tax cuts for personal income less than $66,500 and will cost the state $1.1 billion in revenue once it gets phased in.

Lawmakers in Alabama have concluded a special session on American Rescue Plan funding and will resume their regular session. Governor Kay Ivey (R) has signed a plan into law that would allocate funding toward infrastructure projects, like water and sewer infrastructure and toward healthcare services.

The Maryland legislature is coming up on their crossover deadline, meaning a bill that has not passed its house of origin is considered dead for this session. The legislature adjourns on April 10, and the crossover day is on March 27.

An article was written about Maryland HB 1193 and the organizations that testified in support, naming the Auto Care Association and quoting Dynamic Automotive CEO Dwayne Myers, as well as others who testified on March 8.

Legislation We're Tracking

We are currently tracking 182 pieces of state legislation. Here are the bills we are watching closely: 

Statehouse Automobile Reports

The European Union proposed a right to repair rule that would require manufacturers to repair goods if it costs the same or less than a replacement in an effort to go green. The proposal will also allow that consumers demand that firms fix their products within 10 years of the purchase, even if it is no longer under warranty.

State Attorney Generals wrote a letter demanding that Hyundai and Kia to take greater action on car thefts since certain models of their cars have been targeted by thieves. Along with California, the states that signed the AG letter to the car makers are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, along with the District of Columbia.

Audi is looking to expand production into the United States due to the electric vehicle tax subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act. The company will be reviewing and considering which states in the US to open up their plant.

Tennessee is welcoming companies that are innovating in electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations. The state applied for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program back in 2022, which would provide $5 billion in federal funding for EV chargers.

For questions, email govaffairs@autocare.org.