NCOIL delays action on Model Parts Act

At their annual meeting held this year in Austin, Texas, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) Property and Casualty Insurance Committee delayed action on the Model Act Regarding Motor Vehicle Crash Parts and Repair.

Prior to the meeting, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) had asked repairers to contact state legislators who serve on this committee and ask them to oppose the proposed Model Act. While progress was made for those in opposition to the Model Act, the committee decided to delay final action on the legislation until the NCOIL spring meeting in Washington, D.C.

Committee members defeated an amendment that equated certified aftermarket crash parts with OEM parts.

Robert L. Redding Jr., ASA’s Washington, D.C., representative, spoke on behalf of collision repairers at the NCOIL meeting in Austin, highlighting harmful provisions included in the Model Act.

Redding asked the committee to address the following:

• Provisions regarding aftermarket parts certification should be eliminated.
  
• Provisions for consumer consent do not go far enough to protect vehicle owners or repairers.
  
• Provisions equating certified aftermarket crash parts to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts should not be included in the legislation.

Redding commented, “We are very grateful to our members for communicating with their state legislators opposing this legislation. We had a good response from collision repairers across the country who made it clear that this Model Parts Act is bad legislation and should be defeated. Although attempts to include harmful parts certification language were defeated, the bill should not move forward as currently drafted.

“Today’s decision on parts certification is also a tribute to the hard work of the late Paul Duncan, an ASA Collision Division Operations Committee member from Ohio, who had made stopping this legislation his top industry priority. Paul had planned to be in Austin and would have enjoyed the fruits of his labor,” said Redding.

For more information visit ASA’s legislative Web site www.TakingTheHill.com.