U.S. House May Soon Consider Crash Part Patent Bill
The Access to Repair Parts Act, H.R. 3059, is soon to be considered in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. The legislation would amend U.S. patent code so that it wouldn’t be an act of design patent infringement to manufacture or distribute alternative repair parts for the purpose of repairing a vehicle
U.S. House Passes Repeal of Antitrust Exemption for Health Insurers
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 4626, the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, which amends the McCarran-Ferguson Act to provide that 1) nothing in the act shall modify, impair or supersede the operation of any of the antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance; and 2) Federal Trade Commission
OEM vs. Aftermarket Structural Crash Parts
BodyShop Business tracks how collision industry leaders, parts manufacturers and legislators react to questions raised about the safety of structural aftermarket crash parts.
PA Repairers Say Towing Bill Buys Insurers Time to Steer
The Pennsylvania House is considering a bill, the Towing Standards Act (H.B. 2041), that sets regulations for the towing of vehicles in the state. The Pennsylvania Collision Trade Guild (PCTG) says the legislation could force an unnecessary delay for repairs because it stipulates a tow truck operator must wait 24 hours prior to requesting a
Salvaged Airbag Bill Withdrawn in Maryland
A Maryland bill (S.B. 209) that would have regulated the use of salvaged airbags has been withdrawn from the Senate. The bill was based on a model bill created by the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) that repairers opposed. At the time of the bill’s introduction, the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) warned
Iowa Bill Would Make Paint and Materials Sales Tax Exempt
The Iowa Collision Repair Association (ICRA) is working with Iowa legislators on a Senate study bill (SSB 3180) that the association says would boost shop profits by an estimated 7 percent by exempting paint and other materials from sales tax. The legislation reads: This bill exempts from the sales and use taxes the sales price
Body Shop Shares Texting Statistics in Safe Driving Campaign
King Collision tells teens texting while driving is “nothing to LOL about.”
House to Consider Partial McCarran-Ferguson Repeal
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a partial repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act that would apply only to health insurers. H.R. 3596, the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Act, is tentatively scheduled to come to the House floor this month. The purpose of H.R. 3596 is to ensure that health insurance issuers and medical malpractice
Maryland Bill Regulating Salvaged Airbag Use Endangers Consumers, Repair Group Says
WMABA says it’s concerned bill would encourage insurers to call for salvaged airbags in repairs to cut costs.
Laws Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving Don’t Reduce Crashes, Insurance Data Indicate
As state legislators across the United States enact laws that ban phoning and/or texting while driving, a new Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) study finds no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans take effect. Comparing insurance claims for crash damage in four U.S. jurisdictions before and after such bans, the researchers find steady claim