This Week in Congress
The House will take up the "Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act" and the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act." The Senate will continue to consider legislation that would force approval of the Keystone Pipeline. Both the House and Senate will meet in joint session on January 21 to hear the President’s State of the Union speech.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a January 22 hearing on “Examining Job-Based Health Insurance and Defining Full-Time Work”. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a January 22 hearing entitled “Jobs and a Healthy Economy”. |
Auto Care Association Calls for End to West Coast Ports Dispute
On Jan. 16, the Auto Care Association again joined a coalition of retailers, manufacturers and agricultural producers in a letter calling on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to complete contract negotiations as soon as possible and work to resolve the current congestion issues without further interrupting the flow of commerce. Read more... |
EPA Announces New Rule on Definition of Solid Waste for Recycling
On January 13, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule on a new definition for ‘solid waste’ that will affect more than 5,000 facilities that generate or recycle hazardous secondary materials (HSM) through manufacturing processes. Read more... |
New Cuba Trade Rules Allow U.S. Exports of Automotive Tools and Equipment
Following through on the historic policy change announced a little less than a month ago, the Obama administration laid out new regulations last week easing travel, trade and banking restrictions on Cuba. Under the revised regulations, the Commerce Department maintains responsibility for regulating the export and re-export of U.S. origin goods. Read more... |
Safety Agency Wants to Know Costs of Repairing TPMS in Older Vehicles
On January 13, the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency (NHTSA) released a request for comments seeking to reinstate the collection of data on the maintenance and repair of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in older vehicles. Previous data showed that the effectiveness of TPMS in preventing severe under inflation was dramatically low in vehicles 6 – 7 years old. Read more... |
NHTSA Head Indicates More Scrutiny in Auto Industry on Recalls
On January 12, Dr. Mark Rosekind, the newly confirmed head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) attended the Detroit International Auto Show to visit with automakers and discuss safety. Following the 2014 explosion in vehicle recalls spurred by issues with airbags in GM, BMW, Toyota, and other vehicles, Rosekind indicated that the agency would be holding the auto industry to a higher level of scrutiny over parts and vehicle safety. Read more... |
Senate Introduces Health Insurance Tax Repeal Bill
Senators John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced S.183, the “Jobs and Premium Protection Act of 2015” on Jan. 16, to repeal the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Auto Care Association, through its membership in the Stop the Hit Coalition, continues to play an active role in lobbying for this little-known tax on small business. Read more... |
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