The Specialty Equipment Market Association (Sema), founded in 1963, is the trade association that represents the $31 billion specialty automotive industry. With roughly 6,500 member companies, Sema has become the authoritative source of research data, trends, and market growth information for automakers and the specialty auto products industry.
The Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) is a council within SEMA made up of manufacturers, fabricators, publishers, dealers, and car club members who are dedicated to protecting and developing the general hobby as a whole.
The two groups are typically the only link between the car hobbyist and the country's lawmakers, and it is the initial language in the proposals written by these two groups that help lawmakers understand what hobbyists want (or don't want) before they create unfair local, state, or federal laws. A sampling below shows just a fraction of what Sema/HRIA is currently working on.
California still sucksSteve McDonald, Sema VP, Government Affairs, reports in reference to California's erratic car registration process that: "Negotiations with the Air Resources Board, the California Attorney General's office, the Bureau of Automotive Repair, and others continue." He maintains that he hopes to have a statement within the next several weeks on the subject. Some states have an easy registration process for kit and replicar builders/owners, but California continues to be a "worst-case scenario" when it comes to legally registering your vehicle.
Maine's Registration ProcessIn Maine, a version of Sema's model legislation to create a registration class for custom vehicles was signed into law by Maine Governor John Baldacci. Maine joins Montana, Illinois, Missouri and Rhode Island as states that have enacted the bill. Under the new law, custom vehicles are defined as at least 30 years old and of a model year after '48 or manufactured to resemble a vehicle from that era. The law also allows customs to have a body constructed from non-original materials and assigns these vehicles the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble, allowing qualifying replicas and kit cars to be accommodated under this registration class.
The measure requires the chief of the state police to convene a committee of representatives from the custom vehicle industry to provide advice and technical assistance regarding potential inspection standards and procedures. The new law is the product of months of consultation with the HRIA, state legislators, regulators, and the local hobbyist community.
Your Vehicle Title Here!The Sema Street Rod/Custom Vehicle Titling Billis coming to a state near you!In many states, outdated and convoluted vehicle-registration laws have created confusion among motorists and those who are charged with applying these laws at the ground level. With the growing popularity of street rods and custom vehicles, including kit cars and replicas, problems arise in trying to title and register these vehicles, which may not fall under existing vehicle classifications.
To remedy this issue, Sema has produced model legislation that establishes titling and registration classes for street rods and custom vehicles. The model bill defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949, and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. The legislation allows eligible vehicles to be titled as the same model production years they most closely resemble.
The bill also stipulates that vehicles titled and registered as street rods and custom vehicles may be used only for occasional transportation, exhibitions, club activities, parades, tours, etc., and not for general daily transportation. The model bill is the product of consultation with the HRIA, local police departments, regulators and hobbyists.