April 13, 2015
New Blog Post: Will the Auto Care Industry be Collateral Damage in Car Company Efforts to Protect Their Vehicles from Hacking?
     The Auto Care Association government affairs team publishes a blog to offer some additional insight into what is happening in Washington, D.C., the states and internationally, and how that relates to the auto care industry. Read this week's post here: http://tiny.cc/blog041315.  

This Week in Congress
     The Senate and House will return from their two-week spring break. The Senate plans to take up House-passed legislation that will permanently fix how doctors are paid under Medicare. The Senate also could consider sex trafficking legislation that has been held up over a dispute over an anti-abortion provision. The House plans to consider legislation addressing mortgages for manufactured housing; a bill to revise the Qualified Mortgage Rule; legislation that would reinstate expired tax provisions related to deductions for state and local sales taxes; and a bill that would repeal the estate tax (see article below).

The Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a April 14 hearing on draft legislation to revise the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (see article below).

The House Small Business Committee will hold an April 15 hearing on the impact on small businesses of tax reform. The Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits and Administrative Rules of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade of the House Financial Services Committee will hold an April 15 joint hearing on efforts to reform the Export-Import Bank.  


House to Vote on Full Repeal of Estate Tax for First Time in a Decade
     The House has scheduled a floor vote this week for H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015. This will be the first time in 10 years that Congress has considered legislation to fully repeal the estate tax, and there are over 250 current members of the House who have never cast a vote on repeal legislation.  Read more...

House Members Release Toxic Substance Reform Draft Bill
     On April 7, a bipartisan group of House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders announced the release of a draft bill intended to modify portions of the current Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). At the same time the draft was released, the committee also announced that the first hearing on the bill would take place on April 14. Currently in discussion draft form, it differs from Senate legislation seeking to revise TSCA, in that it only addresses specific sections of current law, rather than attempting to implement broader reform.  Read more...

Safety Agency to Hold Workshop on Automotive Recall Completion Strategies
     On April 10, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced an informal workshop to solicit ideas on how to complete vehicle and parts recall activities faster and reach more drivers. The workshop will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 28 in Washington, DC. Presentations are expected from NHTSA, vehicle manufacturers, suppliers and dealers.  Read more...

Auto Care Joins Coalition Seeking Changes to Prop 65 Proposal
     The Auto Care Association has joined 25 other organizations on an April 28 letter asking the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to retract three elements of proposed changes to the California Prop 65 product labeling law. The letter was led by the American Chemistry Council and is cosigned by a myriad of other consumer product industries.  Read more...

ITC Launches Investigation into Imports of Engine Valve
     The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain variable valve actuation devices and automobiles containing the same. The products at issue in the investigation include certain types of valves that open and close with variable timing that are typically found in combustion automobile engines and vehicles with such engines.  Read more...

2015 National Trade Estimate Report Released
     The 2015 National Trade Estimate Report (NTE), released earlier this month by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), provides an inventory of significant foreign obstacles affecting U.S. exports and provides an update on USTR’s efforts to reduce those obstacles.  Read more...

 
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