This Week In Congress
Floor Schedule: It is expected that bills to shore up highway funding and renew the federal backstop for terrorism insurance are the top congressional priority this week, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have agreed to bring up the bill that would extend, for seven years, a program designed to help private insurers with losses related to terrorist attacks. The House will continue work on fiscal 2015 appropriations, with the Financial Services spending bill scheduled for floor action. The Senate Appropriations Committee is getting ready to mark up the Defense spending bill. Read more... |
EPA Proposing to End Use of 134a in New Motor Vehicles and Consumer Products
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would prohibit the use of 134a as a refrigerant in new motor vehicles beginning in model year 2021. Further, beginning in 2016, EPA is proposing to no longer permit the use of 134a as an aerosol in consumer products, some of which are automotive products. Read more... |
Auto Care Association Signs on to Letter Supporting Full Repeal of Estate Tax
On July 9, the Auto Care Association signed on to a Family Business Coalition letter sent to Congressman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., in support of H.R. 2429, the “Death Tax Repeal Act.” The Family Business Coalition is a diverse organization made up of 35 industry and trade groups, including the International Franchise Association, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, the American Dental Association and the Tire Industry Association. Read more... |
EPA Advisory Committee Urges Stricter Ozone Standard
In a June 26 letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee highlighted “ample scientific evidence” that the current national ambient air standard for ozone was insufficient in protecting human health and recommended that the agency institute a stricter nationwide standard. Read more... |
Trichloroethylene Receiving New Scrutiny from Feds
Several federal agencies are coordinating efforts to either replace trichloroethylene (TCE) as an ingredient in solvents and degreasers, or step up warnings about its suspected dangers. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is considering a change in the status of TCE from its current “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” to the “known carcinogen” category. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold an unrelated public workshop on a draft work plan to find replacements for TCE. Read more... |
Congressional Committees Move Temporary Infrastructure Funding Plans Forward
On July 10, the House and Senate committees responsible for finding revenue that would keep the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) solvent moved proposals forward that would keep national transportation and infrastructure programs funded through approximately May 2015. The proposals, from the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee, use similar revenue sources, including transferring money from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) fund and federal employee pension plan accounting changes to create approximately $10 billion for the HTF. It is hoped that the similarities in each committee’s proposals will help smooth the way for final passage. Read more... |
West Coast Port Labor Negotiations Continue; Teamsters Agree to “Cooling Off” Period
Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) resumed Friday, July 11, although the three-day extension of the previous contract was not extended further. The two parties issued another joint statement stating that they will negotiate through the weekend and pledged to “keep the cargo moving.” Both sides had agreed on July 7 to recess the talks for three days so the ILWU leadership could participate in contract negotiations with grain handlers in the Pacific Northwest. (Those contracts are separate from the coast-wide contract negotiations - the PMA is not involved in the grain talks.) Read more... |
New Blog Post: Is Support for the Employer Mandate from Liberal Activists Wavering?
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/Blog071414 Read more... |
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