Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the Capital Report will not be published next week, May 26. The next issue will be distributed on June 2.
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This Week in Congress
Floor Schedule: The House returns from its one week recess to take up a defense program reauthorization bill and legislation to limit the data collection activities of the National Security Agency. The Senate may try to take up legislation that would extend many expired tax breaks including an extension of the research and development tax credit. Read more... |
Senate Moves Forward on Transportation Legislation
On May 12, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee released a six-year bill that funds portions of the transportation program covering infrastructure construction and environmental issues, freight, and research funding titles. The bill was then rushed into a mark-up by the Committee on May 15 and voted out in a session that lasted roughly one hour and ultimately included 12 amendments out of a total of 51 that had been introduced. Read more... |
Winner of Final Prize in 2014 AAPAC Raffle Announced
Todd Hack, Vice President of Automotive Aftermarket Sales for Gates Corporation, has been declared the third and final winner of the 2014 Automotive Aftermarket Political Action Committee (AAPAC) raffle. Hack joins the two previous winners announced at the Auto Care Association’s Spring Leadership Days, Eugene Han from O’Reilly Auto Parts and Bill Lorenz from N.A. Williams Company, and will be awarded a brand new Xbox One video game console. Read more... |
The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Holds Webinar on Upcoming NLRB Ruling
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is considering a request by its General Counsel to overrule the 2007 decision known as “Register Guard.” The “Register Guard” decision upheld the right of employers to prohibit use of their email systems for "non-job-related solicitations," including union solicitations. Read more... |
D.C. Circuit Court Rejects Motion to Stay SEC Conflict Minerals Rule
In a brief per curiam order issued May 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request made by industry groups to stay the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Conflict Minerals Rule, which is set to go into effect next month. The stay which had been requested by the Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable and National Association of Manufacturers, comes as a major blow to corporations who must now comply with the onerous and confusing SEC regulations. Read more... |
ITC Judge Recommends Ban on Windshield Wipers
An administrative law judge for the International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that a number of imported windshield wiper devices and components infringe upon a patent and should be blocked by a limited extension order, or cease and desist order. Specifically, the judge ruled that Trico Products Corp. of N.Y. and Trico Components, SA de CV of Mexico, were importing windshield wipers that infringed upon a valid patent held by Federal-Mogul Corp., thus violating Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Read more... |
EU Issues Negotiation Points on EU-U.S. Trade Agreements for Chemicals and Motor Vehicles
On May 14, the European Commission published five position papers on areas for negotiation in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The papers included one each for chemicals and motor vehicles in an effort to make the EU’s positions transparent to the United States and stakeholder groups. Read more... |
North American Countries Attempt HFC Phase-Out through Montreal Protocol
The U.S., Canada and Mexico are attempting again to challenge other nations to gradually lower the production and use of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) by submitting an amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Signed by 197 countries including the European Union, the Montreal Protocol was created in 1987 to reduce the use of products that deplete the ozone layer and is largely regarded as one of the more successful international environmental treaties. Read more... |
Congressional Conference Committee Agrees to Improve Shipping Resources on Water
A House-Senate conference committee completed work last week on Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) that is intended to assist the movement of water-bound freight in the United States. The final bill authorizes 34 Army Corps of Engineer projects across that country to open ports and improve the ability of the United States to accept larger shipping vessels set to come through the Panama Canal. Read more... |
Federal Trucking Agency Makes Electronics and Coercion Protection Announcements
On May 12, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released new guidance on automatic onboard data recorders (AOBDRs) while simultaneously publishing new research on the benefits of electronic Hours of Service (HOS) reporting. Following that, on May 13, the agency produced a proposed rule on coercion in order to better protect commercial vehicle drivers. Read more... |
New Blog Post: Celebrating World Trade Month With a Trade Mission To Latin America
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 our most recent post here: http://tiny.cc/blog051814. Read more... |
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